


In Cold Blood

by fistitout, Kokinu09



Category: Z-O-M-B-I-E-S (Disney Movies)
Genre: F/M, assassins!au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-01
Updated: 2019-11-15
Packaged: 2020-10-10 03:56:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 48,074
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20521553
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fistitout/pseuds/fistitout, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kokinu09/pseuds/Kokinu09
Summary: “Make no mistakes,” they told her. “Leave no trace. Get in and get out and get it over with.” Death was inevitable, all she was doing was speeding up the process. “You must restore the justice this world so cruelly disregarded,” they had told him. “It’s only right.” Two people, so similar yet worlds apart, brought together by accident and left with no other choice but to right the wrongs they’ve been forced into.





	1. Chapter 1

_Incoming Call:_

_ **Code Breaker** _

"Hey E! What's up?" Zed answered, his cell signal coming through the speakers his brand new electric green with black detailing, including the spoiler, Chevy Camaro.

"'_What's up?' Really?_" It was Eliza. His best friend since they were little rugrats. "_Your dad said it's extremely important that you don't fuck this one up._"

"Geez language! …Wait. Fuck what up?" He asked in a completely confused tone.

"_Zed._" She said in warning. "_Zevon said if you take him out, it will collapse an entire drug ring on the east side of the city._"

"Oh! You're talking about Ol' Walt!" He responded as though he'd just remembered. Eliza groans dramatically.

"_Yes. I'm talking about _Walter Klamoski_._" She confirmed in annoyance, emphasizing his name.

"Relax E! It's already taken care of!" He teased, indicating he knew what she was talking about the entire time.

"_Gah! I'm gonna kill you Z!_" She screamed, the surround sound speakers emulating like she were sitting right there in the passenger seat.

"Love you too!" He said before he hung up.

If you haven't guessed it by now, yeah, he's an assassin. One of the best actually. As he sped through the city of Seabrook, he smirked as he recalled the hit he completed mere hours ago.

He'd taken out the security cameras around the property the night before. The dark shadows of night were always perfect for staying out of sight. Then it was all about timing. He applied a pin sized sensor to the front door. A niftly little gadget Eliza had built for him. His phone got an alert every time the door was opened until he disabled it.

Walter Edward Klamoski, age 53. The drug lord of Seabrook's East side. This greedy old bastard was obsessed with money. Like penny pinching obsessed. Also meaning he didn't take kindly to junkies not paying for product. _Not_ a good dude.

He was known for spending 3 days out of the week sitting at his desk counting his profits. He told his lackeys it was 'working from home' but anyone with half a brain would realize what he's doing.

So Zed adjusted his black gloves from his position. He'd done a stakeout the next street over that whole afternoon, until he got the alert of the front door opening.

Just as he expected, the creep's schedule was always the same. After his morning rounds on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, he'd return home for a quick lunch before slipping away into his office.

By the time he got there, Zed was already waiting, sitting in the fancy leather chair behind the oversized oak desk facing away from the door. Mr. Klamoski was distracted by the wide open window he'd slipped in though with the curtains blowing wildly from crisp autumn air.

The old man hurried to the windowsill and leaned out to look around, finding nothing. He scowled in suspicion but the barrel of Zed's favorite Maxim 9 suppressor was pressed against his temple before he could make another move.

"Good afternoon Mr. Klamoski!" Zed greeted cheerfully. Walter started to open his mouth but Zed pressed the gun slightly harder against his head. "Scream and you make my job much quicker." Walter was quivering and trying his best to coware away from the pistol.

"Y-you're here to kill me." He stuttered.

"Why else would I be here?" Zed grinned maliciously.

"P-please! I-I can pay you! Whatever they're paying you, I-I'll double!" Walter offered desperately. Zed sighed.

"Hmmm," he pretended to think, "well, your offer does sound tempting." He humored. Walter seemed to jump at even the slightest opportunity to save himself.

"Y-Yes! Here!" He made a move around Zed cautiously which he allowed, never taking his aim off his target. "I-I can prove it! Just one moment!" He clumsily took a set of keys out of his pocket and unlocked one of the many drawers in the desk.

Without hesitation he started pulling bundles of cash out and tossing them onto the desktop. Zed didn't even flinch or take his eyes off the man he was sent to kill. Walter stood back up and gestured to the pile of cash. There had to be at least 10 grand laid out.

"Y-you can have all of it! Just p-please let me go." He begged. Zed frowned. Did this scumbag really think he'd take a cheap bribe?

"Have a seat Mr. Klamoski." He ordered flatly. The older gentleman slowly did as he was told and tears started to stream down his face. Zed had the barrel once again pressed to the man's temple. "Crying will be a nice touch." Zed noted aloud.

"I hope God is as merciful as you were to those innocent people. Which wasn't very." Zed sneered. Firing his pistol.

Walter's now dead body falls forward across the desk, his blown out skull landing onto the surface. Zed quickly tucked his weapon in the back of his pants before he got to work setting the scene. The top drawer closest to him held the gun registered to Walter. He placed it carefully in his limp hand. Taking one last glance around, nothing else was out of place.

He briefly looked back down at his target. His blood splattered and soaking the stacks of green bills surrounding him. The dried tears streaking his cheeks. The sight of a depressed millionaire who killed himself because the money couldn't make him happy, no matter how much he owned. At least that's what everyone would think.

Zed then slipped back out the window he'd entered through without a trace, strutting across the grassy yard until he was out in the alley. He stripped off his gloves and shoved them into his pockets.

He's officially in the clear. No one could trace any of that back to him and would think it was just another suicide. He smirked proudly.

Another assignment completed flawlessly.

* * *

After he parked in the parking garage, he headed for the elevator. Taking a quick glance back at his beloved, shiny Camero that matched his own green hair. Damn he loves this car.

The elevator doors slid closed and he watched the numbers light up one-by-one as he ascended to his floor, the top floor to be exact. The ding indicates that he'd arrived, but since it led right into his penthouse, he entered the required code into the pin pad before the doors opened.

Once he was inside, he could finally relax. Yes, his apartment was a penthouse. Yes, he loves his fancy car and having nice things. But other than that, he kept his life pretty modest. His apartment wasn't decorated fancy, and he didn't dress extravagantly. He kept it professional, yes, but that was mostly because of his dad.

His phone vibrated and he dug it out of his pocket.

_Text Notification:_

_ **Pops** _

Speak of the devil.

With a quick swipe, the phone unlocked and he tapped his inbox.

_I need you to come to the office. _

_See you in 15 minutes. -Dad_

Zed audibly groans. He hasn't even had a chance to sit down. Or change. Or eat! His stomach growled at the thought of a hot meal. Subconsciously, he always seemed to fast a couple days before a hit. Maybe it's because he's too focused on his mission? He wasn't really sure. He huffed as he shoved his phone back in his pocket and headed back down to the parking garage.

* * *

_Z.O.M.B.I.E.S._: Zombies Optimize Maximum Balance In Economic Systems.

That's his dad's company. A law firm actually. They fight for the underdog. The ones who couldn't fight for themselves. And most of their work _is_ legal. But then there's Zed's job.

In his small division of the company, they… level the playing field. Taking out the really bad guys to restore the balance in society. There aren't enough good people out there. Or maybe they're in hiding. Either way, there are way more bad people making their faces known. And those are the ones that come across Zed's desk. Figuratively.

He refused to have an office, no matter how much his dad tried to insist. It made him feel tied down. Like he couldn't just walk out that front door someday and never come back.

But for now, he strutted through those doors with Zombie pride. Throwing a wink to the girl at the front desk, high fiving the interns, helping Janize pick up the papers she accidentally dropped, then knocking on the door adorned by a gold plak with his father's name on it. He waited to be called in before entering and shutting the door behind himself.

"Ah! Zed! Come in, come in son!" His father greets enthusiastically. Zed rolled his eyes.

"One step ahead of you Pops." He joked, stepping forward to accept the hug his dad was offering.

This big softy is Zevon Necrodopolus. President and CEO of Z.O.M.B.I.E.S. His Dad. Top dog of this major law firm. A compassionate heart that's helped hundreds upon thousands of people legally.

Zevon walked away from his son towards the mini bar in his office, already pouring two drinks as he spoke.

"Congratulations on your successful mission." He said before handing his son a short glass with 3 ice cubes floating in the bourbon.

"A textbook hit." Zed replied simply, taking a sip and wincing from the harsh liquor. Zevon chuckled.

"I'd've thought you'd be used to that by now." He mused. Zed laughed.

"You'd think." He agreed jokingly. He always had a drink with his dad after a hit assignment. Not always this soon after however, which is why Zed is so curious. "So, what's up? Why'd you need me here so quick?" He asked, taking another sip. Zevon's face dropped, he cleared his throat as he straightened his posture as he sat his glass on the desk.

"You're next assignment." He told him seriously. Zed raised a brow.

"A little soon, don'cha think?" He questioned. Zevon picked up his phone and typed quickly across the screen then Zed's phone buzzed in response. Zed opened the message and a beautiful white haired girl in sunglasses popped up.

"Addison Lorelei Davis. 23 years old. Associate of the Mighty Shrimp." Zevon informed him as he skimmed through the photos. Zed's brows knit together in confusion.

"What makes her a target? She looks pretty harmless to me." He tried to pry. She looked innocent. How could such a beauty be so bad?

"She's very," he paused as if to find the right words, "skilled with what she does. Once she's out of the way, getting to her grandfather, the CEO of Mighty Shrimp, will be a piece of cake." Zevon tried to explain. Zed blinked in surprise. Her grandfather? She must be really close to him then.

"But why her? Can't I just go straight for the top?" He was so confused as to why _she_ was his target.

"No. All you need to focus on is your mission and taking her out. End of story." He was firm and wasn't having any arguments.

"Yeah yeah. On it Pops." Zed sighed in defeat. An assignment's an assignment. A hit's a hit. It just sucks that it had to be such a cute girl. He downed the rest of his drink then headed for the door.

"Zed." Zevon called before his fingers could even touch the knob. He paused and looked back at his dad. "Be careful." He told him sincerely. This confused Zed even more but he just nodded and continued out the door.

* * *

Zed shot his contacts Code Breaker and Silent Vandal a quick text to meet him at _Zita's Pizza_ as soon as possible. As he drove, his mind was reeling. He couldn't get her face and that unique white hair out of his mind. Why was he so insanely attracted to her? Girls have never been a problem for him before. If they're bad, they're bad. End of story. But there was something about her that didn't read as bad to him.

He physically shook his head to clear away those thoughts. Focus on the facts. He was given an assignment and he wasn't about to fail over a pretty face. But damn what a waste.

* * *

Zita's was a popular little pizza joint on the West side of town Zed and his friends grew up in. It was a mom and pop shop so nothing fancy, but man the pizza was delicious. Of course he got there first, since he'd dropped the meet up on them out of nowhere, so he put in an order and found a little table for three back in the corner.

He was skimming over the target detail file his dad emailed him when a strong pair of hands grab onto his shoulders, successfully scaring the life out of him. He whipped his head around to find the gentle giant he's been best friends with since middle school smiling down at him. Zed sighed in relief.

"Geez Bonzo! They don't call you the Silent Vandal for nothin' huh?" Zed joked. He got a chuckle and a nod but nothing else.

Bonzo used to be an assassin too but after a particularly traumatizing hit a few years back, he hasn't killed or spoken since. He wouldn't really tell them the details as to why it was so traumatic, but they knew that he took a vow of silence in his victim's memory.

Not that Zed really asked. He had other things to worry about. His mom who's been really sick died around the same time. Zed wasn't thinking about how Bonzo was hurting because he was too busy mourning his late mother. But Bonzo was still there for him through it all. He basically never left his side, unless Zed asked him to, for the first week.

Bonzo was a great friend and such a kind heart. It's amazing that he was ever able to be an assassin in the first place. The big lug took the seat across from him just as the pizza was brought to the table. Both boys were salivating from the delectable smells hitting their nostrils but knew they had to wait. Or else feel the wrath of Code Breaker.

"Well, well. Brain Eater strikes again huh?" Eliza teased as she approached them. Zed rolled his eyes but still smirked at her as she took the other empty seat.

"Do I ever disappoint?" Zed countered extra sweetly. It was Eliza's turn for an eye roll.

"With missions? No. But I could think of a few other things." She jabbed. Zed winced dramatically and put his hand over his heart.

"Ouch E! That hurts!" He teased. Bonzo slapped their arms to get them to stop and returned their attention to the piping hot pizza in front of them.

"B's right. And you're probably starving. Let's eat!" Eliza exclaimed before they all dig in. Though, Zed didn't eat as quickly as Eliza or Bonzo would have expected. He seemed deep in thought with each bite, his gaze distant and not direct as he stared. Something was up.

"So! What was the rush to meet up?" Eliza asked. No response. She shared a look with Bonzo. "Hello? Earth to Zed!" She tried again, waving a hand in front of his face. Zed blinked and looked between his friends in confusion.

"Wait what?" He asked back. Both of them had on concerned expressions that told him he needed to speed this along. He sat the slice of pizza down and leaned back in his chair, running his non-greasy hand through his emerald hair.

"Where do I start." He muttered.

"Did something happen with your hit? Are you in some kind of trouble? I can help you vanish. Just say the word!" Eliza offered only slightly frantic. Zed chuckled under his breath and shook his head.

"No no! It's nothing like that!" He assured them with a smile. "The hit's not the problem. I, um, got another assignment." He admitted. Bonzo's pizza dropped from his mouth and Eliza gaped at him in disbelief.

"Wha- how!" She started to yell but quickly hushed herself to avoid drawing attention to them and leaned forward to whisper yell across the table. "Z.O.M.B.I.E.S. doesn't even do _that_ many hits! Who could possibly be a target so soon?!" She questioned. Zed also leaned forward to continue the conversation more privately.

"The Mighty Shrimp." Is all he had to say. That's all it took. Their eyes were wide, baffled and stunned by the mere mention of the tycoon company. "Yeah. My thoughts exactly." He joked sarcastically. Eliza tried to blink off her confusion, her brain still processing this mind-blowing piece of information.

"Ok. So Zevon wants you to take out the owner." Eliza assumed to which Zed shook his head in denial.

"Nope." Zed said with a pop of the p. Her brows furrow.

"What do'ya mean 'nope'." She demanded more than asked.

"I'm supposed to take out his granddaughter." He clarified. Eliza does a head tilt to show her skepticism.

"His granddaughter. Why?" She asked. Zed shrugged.

"Dad wouldn't go into detail, but he just said she's skilled at what she does. That's it." He pulled out his phone and opened one of the pictures of the platinum haired girl, sliding the device on the table so they could see his newest target. "It feels, wrong." Zed finally sighed, scrubbing his face in frustration.

"You've never questioned an assignment before!" Eliza laughed. Zed glanced around to make sure she wasn't drawing too much attention then scowled at her. She calmed down. "Look, if Zevon decided she needs to go, she must have done something horrible! He doesn't hurt innocents." She reminded him.

"Yeah yeah. I know, I know." Zed sighed again. "_You must restore the justice this world so cruelly disregarded. It's only right._" He quoted his father when he was initiated into the brotherhood.

"Right. So just follow orders and take her out." She confirmed. Zed clenched his jaw, but nodded. He knew he had to, but why was it so hard to agree? If he's gonna do this though, he knows he'll need help. They're help.

"So," he started, giving them a forced wicked smirk, "what's the plan?" Both of them groan dramatically, causing him to laugh since he knows they're joking.

"Fine! I'll help!" Eliza resigned. "But not here. Too public." She said as she looked around. Zed glanced over his shoulder and noticed people were giving their own glances their way.

"You're right. Let's finish eating and reconvene at my place." He agreed, picking up his once forgotten slice.

The three finish the entire pizza over some lighthearted banter to try lifting Zed's enthusiasm for his upcoming mission.

* * *

Bonzo spent his time scrolling through Netflix while Zed and Eliza huddled around her laptop. Anyone else would assume it was a piece of junk from its mismatched parts, but it was actually a high powered processing machine. She made it herself, from scratch. Eliza's a computer mastermind. Hence her hitname, _Code Breaker_. There wasn't a password she couldn't hack. If she were to go legit, she'd break every computer record known to man. But luckily, Zed still had her on his side to help him plan his hits.

"This one might be tricky." Eliza pondered, her fingers going a million miles a minute across the keys. "She's young, well, our age, but still! It's gonna be hard to track her down. I can hack into her bank account and get a few of her most recent statements to see if we can find a pattern." She was already working on the coding as she spoke. And seconds later, "I'm in!" She announced proudly.

"Awesome! You're the best E!" Zed praised, reaching over her hands, much to her displeasure, and hit the print key. The Bluetooth printer across the living room hummed to life as the paper slowly slipped out onto the tray. "I'll study those tonight." He said.

"Duh. I'm not doing all the work for you." She huffed. Zed laughed.

"Ok. So I find a pattern, track her down, then what? I can't do it out in the open." He thought aloud.

"Right. Maybe you can lure her away. Like back here or something." At the sheer mention of completing a hit in his apartment made his face scrunch in disgust. Eliza rolled her eyes. "Or her place. I don't give a fuck!" She snapped in annoyance. "My point is, you use that Zed charm of yours to get her out of the public eye. Hopefully she thinks you're cute." Zed scoffed, running his hand through his hair again with a cocky grin.

"That will _not_ be an issue." He assured her, only for her to laugh in his face.

"She could be gay! Maybe I'm better bait than you!" She pointed out with another laugh.

Before Zed could counter with another smart aleck remark, both their phones vibrate with a new alert. It's Bonzo over on the couch. They glance over to see he's stopped scrolling on the TV and could just see the back of his head looking down towards his lap.

"Ah, doing some research, huh Bud?" Zed shouted as he opened the text. It was a screenshot of her social media bio. The account was obviously private so they couldn't stalk that for much info, but Bonzo had highlighted the most important part.

_Addison Davis, 23_

_pan, she/her_

"Nice find B!" Eliza yelled. "So you do have a shot!" She punched Zed's arm. He scowled with narrowed eyes at her.

"Only if she likes me. She won't be easy." He muttered with a pout. Eliza patted the arm she'd just offended.

"Don't worry! You're the fearless Brain Eater! I have complete and total faith in you!" She assured him as she packed up her computer. Zed scoffed again.

"You're always saying how you have _zero_ faith in my abilities!" He yelled. His phone pinged again with another text from Bonzo before he stood up and walked over to him.

_You can do this Zed. You have to believe in yourself. _The text read. Bonzo was already hugging him without allowing a response.

"Thanks Bonzo." Zed said, grateful for his support. The big guy nodded with a sad smile then followed Eliza to the elevator.

"Let us know how it goes." Eliza called.

"Will do. See ya." Zed called back.

And just like that, his two friends then left him alone. He sighed.

"Now for the hard work." He grumbled, taking the last two months worth of bank statements off the printer and hunkering down at his kitchen table with a notepad to try and figure out her habits.


	2. Chapter 2

Edward Jackson Marks. Fifty-eight years old. CEO of West Sencosize, the biggest oil and gas company in the northeast. ‘_ Not for long _,’ Addison thought. 

Addison walked up to the front desk with a polite smile on her face. “Good afternoon, my car broke down and my phone is dead. Can I use your phone to call for a ride?” 

The desk lady smiled and nodded. “Of course you can.” She lifted what looked like the office landline up for Addison. 

Addison typed in the phone number, which rang twice before Birdwatcher picked up. “_ May I help you _?” 

“Car’s gone dark. Can you come pick me up?” 

The line went dead and Addison put the phone down. She gave the receptionist one last smile. “Thank you.” 

“Of course,” front desk lady said. “And may I just say, I love the white hair.” 

“Thank you,” Addison replied. 

She turned and walked away, sitting down in one of the chairs several feet away from the desk. At random, she picked up a magazine and flipped it open to a random page, holding it up and pretending to read it while she kept her eyes on the desk lady. Two minutes later, the office phone is ringing. Addison didn’t have to listen in the know what was being said: the desk lady forgot her very important task for Mr. Marks and if she didn’t complete it within twenty minutes she’d lose her job. They’d only used that script twice before, but it worked like a charm every time. Desk lady got up and ran, not paying much attention to everything she was doing. Addison watched her leave, then got up and took the desk lady’s seat. 

The computer was still logged on. All it took was a few clicks and taps and Addison was in the whole building’s security. The username was already typed in and with a scan around the desktop, Addison found the sticky note that held the password. 

“What an idiot,” Addison muttered as she typed. 

Once she had access to the cameras, she stood up and moved from behind the desk. Birdwatcher’s voice cut in through the office building's silence. “_ The Eyes have just pulled out. You’ll have around twenty minutes to get in and get out. _” 

Addison was already walking into the office. She removed her sunglasses as she walked past the cubicles to the back, knowing the layout like the back of her hand. She nearly bumped into a man, who stopped and let her pass and muttered his apology. It proved to be convenient for her response to the Birdwatcher. “Thank you,” Addison said, to both the man and the Birdwatcher. 

She felt his eyes following her as she continued toward the bathrooms. She took one quick look around the office, making sure no one saw as she slipped into the men’s restroom. It was empty, but wouldn’t be once Marks took his two twenty bathroom break. It was to ‘clear the pipes’ before he had lunch. Disgusting. 

She hid in a stall, standing on the toilet seat and crouching low so she can’t be seen. As she waited, she made sure to pull on her gloves. No fingerprints, no trails. Never sloppy; no mistakes. She waited six and a half minutes for the clock to hit two twenty. Right on the dot, the bathroom door opened. Addison didn’t look, already knowing it was her target. She let him use the toilet first. She knew that once someone died, they’d defecate and that just seemed a little extra cruel. 

Marks flushed and left the stall, stopping at the sink. Addison flicked her lock up, letting the door slowly swing open. She rolled her jeans up just enough so she could grab her knives from their holsters, then jumped down from the toilet seat, barely making a sound. It was still loud enough in the nearly silent bathroom to catch Marks’s attention. He turned in time to see her sinister smirk as she made the three steps from the stall to the sink. His eyes went wide but it was too late; she makes a shallow cut in his throat that stings. He brought his hands up to his neck and let out a silent wince. 

Marks tried to back up but Addison’s knife is at the back of his neck. He walked right into his own death, the knife cutting deep into his skin. Addison pulled it away as he crumbled to the ground. Addison stood over him, watching him die. She grabbed a handkerchief from her pocket, using it to break the bead on her necklace. In a quick motion, she slid her knives through the liquid, then crouched down beside the body. She used each knife to slit each of his wrist. As he bled out, she carved the shape of a crescent moon in his forehead, then stood. 

Addison blew a kiss at the dying business tycoon, resheathed her knives, then left the bathroom. She walked quickly through the office space, back to the front desk. She plugged in her flash drive, downloading the security footage of her entire time in the office building. She heard the panicked screaming of the office workers and glanced at them briefly. After she made sure the evidence was gone, she grabbed her flash drive and walked out of the building. 

Get in, get out. 

* * *

Addison made a pit stop at her apartment before heading back to the office. It wasn’t anything special, but the nicest of all the housing for Mighty Shrimp because of her connections. It was on top floor and the largest in the building, and lavish enough to make every associate jealous. As per code, she shared with her partner, her best friend, the Birdwatcher, whose actual name was Bree Jefferson. Addison walked into an empty apartment, knowing that Bree was already back at the office, doing an evaluation with their supervisor. 

Addison went straight to her room, yanking her closet open. She was always careful, but the human body was disgusting and didn’t care about how nice your jacket was. It’d spew blood wherever it felt, and her clothes were getting uncomfortable with the drying blood. 

She tossed her dirty clothes into the laundry bin, one specifically reserved for hits, and went about getting changed. Wearing all black was too suspicious but wearing dark colors would be more normal, especially with the cool fall air. She changed into a pair of dark jeans and plain grey tee shirt, pulling on a brown jacket and black boots. She grabbed her car keys and her bag, double checking that her white wig was in there before leaving. 

She had “borrowed” a car from a grocery store a few miles away, and stashed it behind the Sencosize office building. Her actual car was parked in the garage attached to her apartment building. Everyone in Addison’s “department” had the same car: a black Mercedes Benz. Addison had her personal car, a bright yellow corvette, but it ruined the look of an assassin. She may not like the plain car she was required to drive, but she knew she needed to do it in order to succeed. 

Addison had been training since she could walk for this job. Mighty Shrimp was her family’s baby, and she needed to protect it from anyone who tried to stand in their way of success. 

* * *

Addison sat in the office of her superior, Troubleshooter, as they watched the video of her most recent hit. He scrutinized every detail, taking notes for the official report. It was boring but mandatory, especially if Addison ever wanted to be taken seriously at Mighty Shrimp. 

She’s an assassin. She kills people for a living. She is one of the best assassins in Mighty Shrimp industries, the biggest everything in the United States, as of that day. Everything that is everything, you could find one in the name of Mighty Shrimp. Anyone who dared to mess with them met the special operations unit of Mighty Shrimp, where Addison worked alongside her best friend, Birdwatcher, and her cousin, Troubleshooter. 

Finally, after Bucky’s replayed the tapes nearly twenty times, he sat back in his chair and said, “Nice work today, Eclipse.” 

Addison knew what was coming. There was always something else. 

“We can go over opportunity areas later,” Bucky said. “Right now, I’ve got a top priority hit from Research. And they want you to do it.” 

“Top priority?” 

“Are you in or out, Addison?” 

Addison folded her arms over her chest. Turning down a top priority assignment was basically asking to get fired. And then get killed. No loose ends. 

“Of course I’m in, what is it?” 

Bucky lets out a dry chuckle. He opened his drawer and pulled out a Manila folder, tossing it in front of Addison. She picked it up and opened it as he started talking. 

“Zed Jacob Necrodopolus, 23. He's an associate of Z.O.M.B.I.E.S.” 

Addison scowled at that. Z.O.M.B.I.E.S., which stood for Zombies Optimize Maximum Balance In Economic Systems, was some social justice organization that made Addison’s skin crawl. They were against everything Mighty Shrimp built from the ground up. Addison had a few of their lawyers as targets before. 

“A lot of his file is confidential to you,” Bucky explained. “Everything you need to know is in there. He’s valuable.” 

“Any particular reason?” Addison muttered, not expecting much of an answer. 

“He’s related to Zevon Necrodopolus.” 

Addison’s eyes widened in shock. The fact that she even got to know that information was insane enough, but what was even more shocking was that she got to kill a relative of Zevon Necrodopolus. It was an honor she never thought she’d get. 

“Is that his son?” Addison asked. 

“Confidential.” 

Addison accepts that as an answer. Either way, killing someone of value to Zevon Necrodopolus would destroy him. She’d known that Sammie had been looking to take down Z.O.M.B.I.E.S. since she was little, but this was the first step to actually putting that plan into motion. And she was the key. 

“I’ll read through this tonight,” she told Bucky. “I’ll be back tomorrow with some ideas. Is ten good?” 

“For you? Always.” 

Addison smiled and stood up. Bucky stood too, and they shook hands as if they were business partners and not cousins. “Don’t fuck it up, Adds,” Bucky warned her. 

“I won’t. You can count on me.” 

* * *

Addison woke up at five in the morning everyday. She doesn’t do anything but get dressed for her morning run of three miles around her neighborhood. It takes about twenty-five minutes on a good day. After her run, she grabbed her gym bag and a bagel, and headed to the gym where she was meeting with Bree. 

The gym was a fifteen minute walk, which she could definitely do, but she would need her car to get to the main office after her workout so she ended up driving to the gym. She got in her car and her eyes immediately landed on the folder in the passenger’s seat. She picked it up and opened it against the steering wheel, looking at the first page—the profile for Zed Jacob Necrodopolus. There’s a picture of him paperclipped to the pages; he’s running a hand through green hair, his brown eyes focused on something behind the cameraman. He’s got a long nose and tan skin and a mole on the right side of his face. In another world, he’d be attractive. 

There are more pictures throughout the file with captions on them, mostly of restaurants he frequents. Most of the pages have blacked out sentences—redacted information that Addison isn’t allowed to see. It doesn’t matter anyway; if it’s redacted it’s not important. 

She read through his file as if it were a bedtime story. From what she understood, he was a man who was often described as a douchebag. It made the hit so much simpler. She hadn’t worked out many details yet, but she knew that she could use her sexuality to get his guard down and do the job. Simple. 

That meant that hitting the gym that day would be all the more important. She got there and signed in, making sure her hours would get logged because gym time was mandatory for her department. Bree was already on the treadmill and Addison smiled at her, dropping her bag on the ground. 

“Morning Bree,” Addison said. 

“Hey,” Bree said. “Did you hear? Edward Marks, of Sencosize, was murdered in his own office building. The Eclipse strikes again.” 

Addison laughed. “That’s crazy. Anything else happened?” 

“Well the company is in the hands of the Board of Trustees,” Bree said. “But I think in a few days they’re gonna run into some…money troubles.” 

Bree winked and Addison laughed. “Come find me when you’re done running. We got stuff to discuss.” 

Bree nodded and Addison picked up her bag again. She went to the weights and started going through her workout circuit. 

* * *

At a quarter to nine, Addison decided she was finished working out. Her and Bree were cleaning up in the locker room, getting ready for their meeting with Bucky, while Addison gave Bree the overview of Zed’s file. They had just finished up showering and getting dressed, walking back to Addison’s car. 

“He’s a twenty-three year old straight, white guy, so I figured the simplest thing to do would be seduce him,” Addison explained. 

Bree snorted. “Of course. Easy peasy.” She paused for a second while Addison unlocked the doors. They both climbed in, then Bree asked, “How exactly do you plan on seducing him?” 

“Well I’ve got a few ideas of places he’s usually at,” Addison said. “Just casually run into him a couple of times, lay the bait.” 

“Uh huh.” 

Addison started the engine, pulled out of her parking space and started toward their office building. “What’s got me stumped is that I can’t really kill him in the middle of the road or just in a dark alley,” Addison said. “You know the drill. Make it fancy and seen and shit so the world knows that the Eclipse has struck again.” 

“Well if you’re trying to seduce him, maybe you can get him into like a bar or a club or something,” Bree suggested. “Get him drunk, kill him in the bathroom or parking lot.” Then she giggled at something and Addison glanced at her strangely. Nothing Bree had said was funny, which meant she must have thought of something funny that Addison now wanted to know. 

“I just—you could get him to sleep with you and after a nice lay, kill him,” she explained. “That way you’re not sexually frustrated and grumpy like you usually are!” 

Addison rolled her eyes. “I’m not sexually frustrated _ or _ grumpy,” she grumbled. “Relationships are a waste of time. They distract from what’s really important.” 

“Right,” Bree agreed. “Plus, you’ll get laid again when they decide your killing career is over or they want you to make more heirs.” 

Addison shivered at the thought. If she had a choice, she wouldn’t do anything like that. Most assassins were sterilized during their “graduation ceremony.” But because Addison was a member of the main family, she was left out for the purpose of eventually giving Mighty Shrimp more heirs. The only problem was that her partner would end up being someone random from the company. She wouldn’t even know who it was until the time came. 

But if it was for the good of the Mighty Shrimp, then she could accept her fate. Whatever it took to stay on top. 

“So seduce him, lure him away to a dark and alcohol filled location, complete the hit. Sounds good.” 

“That was very vague,” Bree pointed out. 

“We can grind out the details with Bucky, duh.” Bree hummed in agreement. Addison glanced at her again. “For now though, I’m gonna need a really sexy dress to get this man to do whatever I want. Think you can figure something out?” 

“It’s like you don’t even know me!” 

* * *

Bucky is skeptical of the plan, to say the least. There were a lot of loose elements that he wasn’t a fan of, not only as her supervisor but as her older cousin. He was basically her older brother, always looking out for her and protecting her. Addison knew that if it were up to him, _ she _ wouldn’t even be involved in any of this. It was why he insisted on being her supervisor; so that he could always make sure she was safe. 

“You think luring this man who is basically twice your size away to a location and trying to seduce him will be a good idea?” 

“Bucky, it’s not like I’m gonna get drunk,” Addison assured him. “And I’ve dealt with bigger men in worse situations. I think I can handle this skinny kid.” 

“Addison,” Bucky said, exasperated, “he’s very…good at what he does. Don’t underestimate him just because he looks weak.” 

Addison rolled her eyes. He was definitely referring to five years before, when her parents didn’t want her to complete her initial training to become an assassin because she was small and skinny and (a little) mentally unstable. Addison had to beg Bucky to vouch for her. She only got to complete her training because Bucky took her on a hit with him and let her do the deed to prove to her parents that she was capable. 

“I’m a trained assassin, Bucky, I take down giant business tycoons for a living. I can handle this.” 

Bucky rolled his eyes. It was clear he was still skeptical but he would help her. It was his job. 

“Let’s figure this out over lunch, huh? I’m starving.” Bucky suggested. 

“I’ll order Panera,” Addison offered. “Get one of the rookies to pick it up. Save us some time.” 

Bucky chuckled and shook his head. “Smart thinking,” he said. 

Addison pulled out her phone, going to order them lunch. “You don’t become the best assassin by taking lunch breaks.” 

* * *

They finished planning as they ate. Addison is going to “casually” pass by his frequent locations to catch his attention. If at any point she sees him, the plan is to catch his eyes and give him some flirty eyes. And finally, lure him away to The Luxy, a swanky nightclub downtown. 

Easy peasy.


	3. Chapter 3

.

.

.

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_ Buzz… _

_Buzz…_

_ Buzz… _

“Arrggghh…” Zed groaned with a face full of pillow. He haphazardly swatted at his nightstand in search for his phone to stop the annoying buzzing. He feels brief success when he finally grabs the rectangular device until he finally lifts his head out of his pillow to look at the screen. 

_ Incoming Call: _

** _Code Breaker_ **

He accepted the call and flipped over onto his back.

“Eliza, why the hell are you calling me so early?” He groaned. He heard a snort on the other end. 

“_ Early? Really? Are you _ still _ in bed? _” She asked, entertained at his expense. 

Zed shot straight up. 

“Wait. What time is it?!” He pressed in a panic. 

“_ It’s like, ten till noon. _” She said like he was stupid for asking. 

“FUCK!” He yelled in aggravation, smacking his hand over his eyes and flopping back onto the mattress. 

“_ O-w! _ ” She snapped like an irritated teenager. “ _ That’s my ear! _” 

“Sorry.” He grumbled. 

“_ What the hell is your problem? _” She demanded. Zed groaned. 

“Um, that hit? Remember?” He responded matter-of-factly. Then he sighed. “I was gonna go drop by the coffee shop she always gets her morning caffeine and try planting a seed. Ya know, get her to like me, then get her alone.” Eliza hummed in understanding. 

“_ Did ya come up with that all on your own _?” She mused.

“But that plan is shit now.” He growled at himself. 

“_ Not necessarily. _” She offered thoughtfully. Zed raised a brow curiously as he threw the sheets off and sat up. 

“I’m listening.” 

“_ Did you see any other places she frequents? _” She asked. 

“Her routine seems pretty consistent. Coffee, gym, lunch. She get lunch at Panera Bread a lot. But her evenings seem pretty spontaneous.” He said, his own gears starting to turn in his sleepy, groggy state. 

“_ You’ll just have to track her down, later than you thought, and proceed as planned! Boom. Done. You’re welcome. _” Her gloating sounded so smug and arrogant that Zed wondered why they were friends for a moment. But that was Eliza for you. 

“Yeah, yeah. Eliza to the rescue. You just took my plan and bumped it back a few hours.” He grumbled as he got fully out of bed and went to the bathroom, needing desperately to get rid of his morning breath and wake up more.

“_You don’t appreciate all I do for you. _” She sighed in disappointment. 

“Whatever. I’ll call you later.” He laughed with an eye roll. 

“_ Fine. Let me know how it goes! _” She exclaims, as cheerfully as Eliza can get, before they hang up.

He sat his phone down on the white marble counter and looked up at himself in the mirror. The dark circles under his eyes from the previous night’s studying, his messy bed head, his slightly raunchy armpit stink wafting up to his nostrils. He definitely needed to get himself cleaned up. 

No girl would even give him a second glance like this.

* * *

Quick shower, refreshed breath, hair on point, and the expensive sweater his dad bought him for his birthday. He had to admit, his pops had some pretty good taste. 

When he looked at himself in the mirror again, he smirked. “Now that’s more like it!” He praised narcissistically. He ran his fingers through his hair and appreciated his reflection a minute longer before clapping his hands. “It’s go time!” He exclaimed, grabbing his phone off the counter and heading for the elevator. 

Last second before the doors opened, he grabbed his black sunglasses off the side table. 

* * *

He stopped at the coffee shop for a coffee in case she was behind schedule as well, and for his own energy boost, but she was nowhere in sight. He took his beverage to-go and went for a leisurely stroll in front of her gym. With his eyes concealed by the black shades, he scanned across the parking lot to see if her vehicle was there but any cars matching the description didn’t match her plate numbers. 

“Damn. Missed her here too.” He muttered quietly to himself. He had a pout creasing his face as he quickened his pace to make it to the restaurant hopefully before she stops in. 

* * *

By the time he got the Panera, it was after the heavy lunch rush, so it wasn’t hard to find a good table with a view of all the doors. He sat there for over an hour, then a little bit longer (just in case), acting like he was working from his phone with the bagel he’d ordered sitting untouched beside him. He wasn’t hungry, but it was the least he could do for holding up one of their tables for so long. He kept his eyes peeled but she never showed. 

Looks like today was a bust. He sighed and stood from his table, tossing the bagel in the garbage bin on his way out the door. 

It was late in the afternoon, early evening really. And Zed was not happy with how his day had gone. The sun was already starting to set, so no need for his shades anymore, as he walked with his hands shoved in his pockets. He noticed the foot traffic was increasing with other people his age obviously ready to go out and party the night away to start off their weekend. 

Suddenly, a short girl pushed passed him to hurry in front of him. His eyes widen. If it wasn’t her sultry glance over her shoulder at him, it was the platinum white hair. 

That’s her. Addison Lorelei Davis. 

Damn, she looks even better in person. He caught a glimpse of her sapphire eyes looking back at him with her pink cheeks and full glossy lips. He gulped back the saliva the pooled in his mouth and shook his head. ‘_Focus. Stay focused! _’ He thought to himself. 

What are the odds that he’d bump into her by chance like this? He couldn’t believe his luck. With this new found opportunity presenting itself, he wasn’t about to waste it. He kept his eyes glued to the back of her head, though her hair made her stand out in the crowd. But his eyes kept skimming down her body, over her furry cream colored coat that covered most of her outfit from his view, to her smooth legs and strappy black heels. His eyes snap back up to her head. He couldn’t risk losing her again. This chick was hard to track down!

Her head slowly turns back towards him again and she smiles shyly when their eyes meet. He smirks back and she turns back around to keep walking towards her destination. Maybe he can play with his food a little before he finishes off his prey. Not that he doesn’t already have a little fun with his victims before their untimely demises. But with her, maybe he can make her final moments more enjoyable before putting a bullet in her head.

He made quick glances around every now and then to stay aware of his surroundings, he wasn’t completely sure where she was heading. But the crowd around them was thickening and making it harder to keep track of his target. She was so small in comparison to all the party goers surrounding them that not even his exceptional height could help the situation. He was trying so hard to keep his eyes on her white hair without being too obvious, failing miserably. Until he lost her. He looked around frantically. Shit, she was gone.

Then the realization that he was standing in front of The Luxy, a swanky, upscale club in town, got his gears turning. Her posh coat and chic shoes, her beautifully styled hair and stunning makeup. All of it pointed to going out. And this would be the perfect venue. 

He pushed through the crowd towards the front door. The bouncer stopped him dead in his tracks. 

“Whoa whoa whoa! I don’t think so Mister.” The Goliath of a man stated flatly with his arms crossed. If Zed really wanted to (which with the day he was having, he wanted to) he could snap his neck with practiced ease, but instead he put on his best polite smile. 

“Oh, I’m sorry! I guess my father forgot to call about my reservation.” He lied. “I’m sure you can make an exception for me. Name’s Zed Necrodopolus.” He hated using his name to get what he wanted, but desperate times call for desperate measures. The man’s eyes widen in surprise. 

“N-Necrodopolus? I’m so sorry Sir! I didn’t mean to inconvenience you!” He apologized stepping to the side to let him through. Zed smiled at him, almost feeling bad, even pulling out his wallet from his back pocket and handed over a hundred dollar bill. 

“Don’t worry about it.” He assured him quietly before stepping past him into the thumping club. 

He walked casually past the coat check at the entrance, keeping his eyes scanning over every presence in the line. He needed to find her again. She was wearing that fur coat so he figured she’d still be checking it if she was going to be dancing and partying that night. Of course, she’s nowhere in sight. He thought about just leaving and starting his search again tomorrow, but then he caught a glimpse of her coat being hung behind the front clerk. 

‘_She is here! _’ He mentally screamed. This could be his shot. He just had to find her in the club, buy her a few drinks, get back to her apartment, and bamm, done. Case closed. 

Zed was quick to head further into the club, the light getting dimmer and dimmer the further he went until he got into the main dancing area. It was pitch black other than the multicolored lights flashing around the stage and on the ceiling. But the bar had a faint glow along the back wall. 

His nerves were wired and a shot sounded great right now. He made his way across the floor over to the bar and slid his black credit card to the young bartender to start a tab, he’d be buying quite a few drinks for his target tonight after all. 

“Shot of Jack please.” He ordered, smiling confidently. Just the sight of the premium credit card made her eyes light up with hopes of a big tip and she didn’t even ask for his ID. 

“Yes Sir!” She agreed, taking his card and immediately going to pour his drink. While he waited, he glanced around to see if he could find his target. As if she was an illusion in the crowd, he instantly caught sight of her white hair and the way her body swayed to the music. 

Her little black dress, that barely seemed to cover her backside, clung to every one of her curves in just the right way with a little accent belt draped around her waist. The top was like a bralette, telling him he could strip off her dress and there’d be easy access to her gorgeous tight body. 

“Excuse me.” His attention was suddenly drawn back to the bartender girl with his shot. “Your shot Sir.” She offered with a smile. He returned the gesture and grabbed the glass, cuing her to walk away. He turned back to watch the white haired girl dancing. But she was gone. 

Fuck. He lost her again. 

He stretched his neck to try and find her over top of the other club patron’s heads but nothing. She disappeared. 

“Are you looking for someone?” The sweet voice came from behind him. He jumped and whipped around to find his target staring up at him through her long dark lashes. He gulped then put on his charming smirk, leaning against the bar with his elbow. 

“I, uh, saw you dancing over there, but you must be some kind of magician. That reappearing act is pretty fantastical!” He said. She made an adorable snorting sound that obviously embarrassed her. 

“‘Fantastical’ is _ not _ a word.” She replied, trying to sound serious and failing from her amusement. His smirk grew wider as he countered. 

“I think it’s a pretty good description of you! Fantastic and magical.” He reached out and gently brushed her white hair behind her ear, to which she pulled away from his hand almost instantly with a sour look on her face. He retracted his hand and put it up. “Sorry didn’t mean to overstep.” He apologized, mentally cursing his own actions. She replaced her scowl with her sweet smile from before. 

“It’s ok, I just worked really hard to style my hair this perfectly.” She explained. 

“Which looks ravishing, by the way.” He added quickly as a compliment. She looks surprised before smirking cheekily. 

“Speaking of hair, does the carpet match the drapes?” She asked, giving him a suggestive eyebrow wiggle. It was Zed’s turn to look surprised by her boldness. 

“Well that’s a secret you’ll have to find out for yourself.” He said with a wink. She giggled lightly then glance at his still untouched shot in his hand. 

“You gonna drink that? Or is it just for show?” She teased. He smiled and waved over to the bartender, who came running without hesitation. 

“I need another for my pretty friend here.” He said, looking down at said friend with a smug smile. 

“Yes Sir.” She’s gone before the white haired girl can even respond. 

“Oh, you don’t need to buy me drinks!” She tries to deny. A second later, the bartender is back and slides the shot to her with a smile. Zed lifts his glass towards her. 

“To new friends?” He offers with a head tilt. She sighed and lifted the drink. 

“To new friends.” She agreed, sounding resigned to the idea already. They downed the shots and slammed the glasses back onto the bar top. Both of their faces twisted from the slow burn of the whisky. 

Zed laughed and it seemed to be contagious for the girl he shared a drink with. She brought one hand up to wipe a little drop of liquid off the corner of her mouth. She glanced up at him again from under those lashes. The eye contact is intense, He tried swallowing the lump but ultimately has to clear his throat to recompose. 

“I’m Zed.” He introduced with a smile, extending his hand to her.

“Lorelei.” She responded and shook his hand. He’s momentarily stunned from the unexpected introduction but he quickly recovered, thinking she must just go by her middle name. 

“That’s a beautiful name.” He said. She raised a brow with that teasing smirk.

“Thanks, my mother gave it to me!” He laughed heartily and she was giggling along with him at her obviously successfully joke. 

“Let me get you another drink. Whatever you want this time.” He offered. She bit her lip as though she was debating on something really difficult then smiled. 

“Sure. One more drink.” She agreed. 

* * *

He wasn’t sure exactly when it happened. One minute, they were chatting and laughing having drinks at the bar, then she dragged him onto the dance floor for some up close and personal grinding, which led to now. 

His lips on hers, her back pressed against the rough brick wall out back of the club building, hands roaming freely across each other’s bodies. 

It was hot and urgent and, _ fuck _! 

Zed pulled back only a few centimeters, that she desperately tried to close just as quickly. Both of their breathing heavy from a lack of oxygen, light puffs of fog emanating from the crisp cold air surrounding them. Her eyes were hooded with lust and intoxication. He stared into her eyes a few more moments before reconnecting their lips with a much softer, slower, affectionate kiss. Her hands tangle in his hair as she returns his affections. He wrapped his arms fully around her, holding her close, like he was protecting her from the world.

He’s not sure if it’s the alcohol coursing through his system or what but he felt intensely attracted to this girl. Not just her looks, ‘cause of course she’s gorgeous, but her personality. He’d had so much fun getting to know her with their back and forth at the bar. She seemed so sweet and fierce all at once. 

_ Goddammit he likes her _.

He pulled back again and this time it takes her a second to open her eyes. Maybe she feels something too. 

“Wanna go back to my place?” He whispered breathily. 

Her half hooded eyes open fully at his question and she looked back into his eyes. She seemed to be searching for something there and her expression is completely torn. A few moments later, she slowly pulled out of his arms. 

“I’m sorry.” She replied so quietly he almost missed it. Her legs wobble from the excess of alcohol she’d consumed and Zed was quick to catch her before she could fall. 

“I, um, it’s ok.” He says, his brain not functioning quick enough for his liking. She pulled out her phone clumsily, nearly dropping it and barely able to type out a text. Zed wrapped his arm around her back, offering her a smile. “I’ll get you an Uber.” 

“N-no, I’can get my’roommate to drive.” She said, her words almost slurring together. 

“It’ll be quicker if you Uber.” He countered. He knew she wouldn’t fight him, she was leaning heavily into his side for support to not fall over. “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure you get home safe.” He assured her, kissing the top of her head. His words shouldn’t have held so much meaning, but he couldn’t help himself. He meant it. 

He walked her back inside towards the front to get her coat. 

“Will I see you again?” Lorelei asked. His breath hitched for a moment, his heart thudding in his chest. She wanted to see him again. 

“Tomorrow?” Zed offered, and she nodded slowly. “I’ll text you details in the morning, okay?”


	4. Chapter 4

Addison woke up the next morning, her head pounding for more than one reason. The obvious was the alcohol from the night before which caused her severe dehydration. There was a bottle of water already waiting for her on her bedside table, which she happily drank half of once she was awake. Never drinking again.

She got out of bed slowly, though her reduced speed did nothing to stop the wave of dizziness that washed over her, and trudged to the bathroom. She left the lights off and cracked the window open so it wasn't completely dark.

No amount of light (or lack of) could prepare her for her reflection. She's not in her dress anymore (thank god) but her makeup from the night before was smudged all over. Even her wig was still on, tangled and frizzy. She looked like a zombie raccoon. And the worst of all is the red hickey just above her collarbone.

Which brought her to the second cause of her headache: Zed fucking Necrodopolus. Okay okay, she has to admit it: he _was_ charming. In a stubborn, irritating kinda way. It was supposed to be easy: flirt a little, lure him away, kill him. Easy peasy.

Why did he have to go and ruin that! Why did he have to be so charming? Why did he have to be such a good kisser? Why couldn't he just be a pretentious asshole? Addison groaned out loud. She was so screwed.

All she had to do was kill him, but just the thought made her stomach twist into a knot. Or maybe it was just the nausea. She'll never have another drink again (that was a lie). She couldn't understand why she didn't just kill him. She had so many opportunities! Her knives were right there, tucked away in the custom holsters inside her dress. All she had to do was pull them out and gut him like a fish. Easy peasy.

Except he was hot and cute with his stupid smile and his dumb jokes. It shouldn't even be legal to be that attractive in real life. He wasn't even that great of a dancer, but that didn't stop their time on the dance floor from being one of the best nights of her life.

No. She couldn't think like that. She's supposed to kill him. Not dance with him and drink and laugh. She was supposed to kill him, out in the alley, far from the luxury of the club. But instead they were kissing and _fuck_ he was amazing at that too. His lips perfectly molding with hers like they were meant to be there. Even in the crisp, cool autumn air was nothing when it came to Zed's fiery kisses and his hands roaming all over her body.

She shivered at the thought. She turned on the water, putting it on its coldest setting. She needed to snap out of it! Zed Necrodopolus was a virus: intrusive, invasive, all she could think about, but all around bad for her. She splashed her face with cold water and shivered for a real reason.

It took a while to get the makeup off, and after she brushed her teeth and took a long hot shower. She needed it to clear her head of Zed Necrodopolus. She went back to her room and downed the rest of her water, already feeling a little better. She got dressed in a pair of jeans and a dark grey long sleeve shirt. When she looked in the mirror, she could still see the edges of the hickey poking out. And she looked like death.

"Fuck."

* * *

Lots and lots of makeup later, she was finally ready to leave her room. Hickey covered, bags gone, and eyes popping. If only makeup could get rid of her headache. She grabbed her phone from her bed, seeing the screen light up with five new messages.

'_Weird,_' she thought. She doesn't usually get texts, especially before eleven in the morning.

What's even more strange is that three of them are from the very man who's been plaguing her thoughts all morning. The first asked if she got home alright, the second following the first by only a few minutes. It had read '_You're probably already asleep so I'll see you tomorrow._'

Addison frowned at her phone. What was happening today that she'd be seeing her target again? The third message from him came in just a few minutes ago and was just an address with _seven_ typed out behind it. Obviously their meeting time.

She backtracked to the night before. They drank, they danced, they made out outside of the club. But what else happened? How did she get home? She furrowed her brows and sat back on her bed, replaying the night. There was a lot of fuzz in it, but she figured out a few details. Zed Necrodopolus invited her back to his place and she said no (the wisest decision she'd made all night). He called her an Uber. Okay, made sense. Had he ordered one on her phone? Only one way to find out.

She checked her history and saw that he had, in fact, ordered her a ride from her phone. In the darkness of her room, she remembered the night before, him showing her the proof that he had ordered her a ride.

_"Wanna go back to my place?" He whispers breathily._

_'_Damn his voice is sexy.'_ She thinks in her drunken haze but then his words catch up to her brain._

_Her half hooded eyes open fully at his question and she looks back into his eyes. Alarms were going off in her head that this is a bad idea. But her heart sang a different tune. His arms made her feel so safe. Like the world couldn't touch her. She searched his eyes for some kind of sign while her head and heart battled it out for a decision. A few moments later, she slowly pulls out of his arms._

_"I'm sorry." She replies, her voice small with continued conflict. Her legs wobble from the excess of alcohol she'd consumed but Zed grabbed her before she could fall, which she was very grateful for._

_"I, um, it's ok." He says. She makes a mental note of how cute he is when he doesn't know what to say. She pulls out her phone clumsily, nearly dropping it and barely able to type out a text. Zed wraps his arm around her back offering her a smile. "I'll get you an Uber."_

_"N-no, I'can get my'roommate to drive." She said, her words almost slurring together. Fuck she hated sounding like an idiot. Why does she drink again?_

_"It'll be quicker if you Uber." He countered. What was the point arguing anymore? She was leaning heavily into his side for support to not fall over. Why does it feel so right to be like this? To be by his side? "Don't worry. I'll make sure you get home safe." He assured her, kissing the top of her head. Was he just saying that?_

_He walked her back inside towards the front to get her coat._

_"Will I see you again?" Addison asked. It was a moment before he responded._

_"Tomorrow?" Zed offered, and she nodded slowly. "I'll text you details in the morning, okay?"_

Okay, yeah, that all made sense. She checked her phone to see her last message, from Bucky, saying he would stop by her apartment at nine for a debriefing. It was eleven now.

"Fuck!"

She shot up and her head buzzed but she did her best to ignore it. She yanked her room door open and ran out, skidding to a stop when she saw Bucky and Bree in the kitchen. They both turn to her. Addison looked at Bucky fearfully, gauging his neutral face. He must not know yet.

"Uh, I overslept, sorry," she mumbled to him.

Bucky nodded slowly. Addison walked into the kitchen and sat across from him. Bree slid a plate of breakfast in front of Addison, the food clearly a hangover cure. Addison would have to remember to thank her later.

"Bree has already filled me in on everything that happened that she knows of," he said.

Addison raised an eyebrow and glanced at Bree. "You went out, came back around one, passed out," Bree said simply.

Bucky nodded and turned to face his cousin. "I'm ready for a full rundown. I figured it'd be better to get it from you instead of trying to get my hands on the security footage."

"Yes," Addison agreed. She shouldn't lie, she can't lie. By Bucky would lose his shit if he found out how much of a terrible job she did. "Well I managed to bump into him on the street. Got him to follow me to The Luxy. He bought me a shot, so I had one. Just one though. Flirted a little. He got drunk. And...as we were talking, I learned how easy it was to get information out of him."

Bucky paused and raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

Truth was, she didn't even know what she was saying. Or why she was trying to keep him alive longer. The words were just flowing out of her mouth. "I mean, I think he's into me," Addison explained. "And since he's close to Zevon Necrodopolus, I figured I could get him to reveal some information. If that's alright."

"Give me a minute to think it over," Bucky said. "Go ahead and eat."

Addison nodded, picking up her fork and knife with shaky hands. Why was she nervous? If Bucky said no, all she would have to do is kill Zed Necrodopolus. That wouldn't be hard, that was the original assignment. She shouldn't even _want_ to keep him alive. He worked for Z.O.M.B.I.E.S. for crying out loud! He was related to Zevon Necrodopolus. The guy was bad news.

Except for the parts of him that were funny and sweet and annoying but also really cute.

Why did things have to get so messy? It's not the first time she'd played the seduction card, and yet it had gone so horribly for the first time. Was she...falling for him? No, that was ridiculous. She just needed to keep reminding herself that he was bad news. Bad news and an amazing kisser.

"Do you have plans for tonight?" Bucky asked.

"Um, with Zed," Addison said. "To either extract more information or complete the hit. Whichever one you'd prefer."

"I want something good," Bucky said. "I trust your judgement, Addison, so once you think you've gotten everything you can complete the hit."

Addison wanted to grin and shout and dance around. Which was weird. Professional assassins don't dance.

Instead, she smiled and said, "I won't let you down, Bucky."

* * *

Once Bucky left, Bree took his seat. "So what really happened?" Bree asked. "I got a drunk text from you, then you showed up in an Uber, drunk off your ass, and don't think I didn't see that hickey!"

Addison blushed but didn't say a word, eating her breakfast slowly. If she didn't say anything, maybe Bree would stop asking questions.

"You can't ignore me!"

Addison sighed and slouched in her seat. "I fucked up bad," she grumbled. "Ugh, he was so hot and I had so much alcohol!"

Bree gasped (dramatically). "You slept with him!"

Addison shot up in her chair. "No no no!" Bree visibly relaxed. "But I almost did. We made out outside of the club and he invited me to his place and I _so_ wanted to! What's wrong with me!"

"Oh honey," Bree sympathized. "I think you've got a little crush."

"No I don't!"

Bree raised an eyebrow and Addison pouted. She didn't have a crush. Professional assassins don't get crushes. _Especially_ on the guys they're supposed to kill.

"So you're going out tonight? With him?" Bree asked.

Addison nodded, glad for the slight shift in topic.

"You're gonna seduce him to get tea so you don't have to kill him?"

"I will kill him," Addison assured her. "After I get some information. I'm ninety percent sure he's Zevon's son. I'm sure with the right incentive I can get him talking."

"Well, you can't seduce him in that," Bree said. "Eat so we can go shopping."

* * *

They ended up at the mall in some girly store Addison hated. Bree usually did all the shopping and altering of Addison's clothes. It gave Addison more time to focus on assassinating people.

Now Addison was at the store and Bree was offering her dresses. Scratch that: Bree was collecting clothes while Addison watched. Once they had the maximum of sixteen items (eight each), they went to the dressing room. There wasn't a fitting room attendant so they just walked in. And immediately bumped into a girl with curly green hair.

'_Weird,_' Addison thought as Bree apologized.

The girl slipped past them into a dressing room and Bree went into the one next to her. Addison followed her friend. The first dress was black and tight, with long sleeves and an off the shoulder collar. It stopped a few inches below her butt.

Bree wolf-whistled as Addison checked herself out in the mirror. The dress was simple and elegant all at once, perfect for the restaurant they were going to. But there was something about it that bothered her. She could pin her finger on it. Maybe it was just first dress bad luck.

"What do you think?" Bree asked.

"I wanna try on the others, but keep this as a maybe," Addison said.

Bree nodded. "I'm sure there are sexier ones," she agreed. "Also, I may have gone a little bit smaller than usual."

"I noticed."

Bree giggled as Addison peeled off the black dress. "Did Ze—" Addison shot a glare at Bree, who just rolled her eyes. "Did he like anything particular about you?"

Addison snorted and said, "I'm gonna guess my ass from the way he was grinding against it."

Bree laughed and Addison smiled proudly. She'd never get tired of making her best friend laugh. 

Addison pulled on the next dress, this one a grey sweater dress the buttoned up down the middle and had a low v-neckline. It was pretty unflattering. She quickly changed to the next dress, an off white looking, off the shoulder dress that was soft with ribbed detail and buttons. Like the black dress, it was tight in all the right places. There was only one problem with it.

"I love it, but where am I supposed to keep the ammo?" Addison asked Bree.

Bree looked at the ceiling in thought. Addison continued to admire herself in the mirror, until Bree said, "Wear those boots. The tan heel ones that already have holsters."

Addison nodded. The dress was fabulous, and the only downside to it was that she'd have to use smaller knives and keep them in her boots.

"I think this is the one," Addison said, turning to Bree.

Bree jumped up and clapped enthusiastically. "Now get changed so I can make you hot for your date later!"


	5. Chapter 5

When he woke up the next morning, he was on cloud nine. Maybe he was a little hung over, but it didn't change how good he _felt_. It was half past ten and he hadn't been able to get Lorelei off his mind since the moment he closed the Uber's car door for her.

He got out of bed, his head pounding from dehydration, and sluggishly went straight to the kitchen in only his boxers to take a swig out of the orange juice jug in the fridge. He sighed in relief after the liquid quenched the desert that was his throat. He grabbed a glass from the adjacent cabinet and poured himself an actual cup of juice.

He walked leisurely back into his room and picked up his phone in his free hand, only one missed text. And it wasn't from the person he had hoped for. He opened the messages he'd send Lorelei last night and sent her an address for the restaurant with the time as seven. Nothing else. No matter how much he wanted to, he couldn't act too desperate.

Instead, he opened the new message from _Code Breaker_.

_I'm hurt that you didn't _  
_tell me how it went._

He rolled his eyes. He looked at the timestamp and scowled.

_How many mornings in a _  
_row are you going to _  
_disturb my precious sleep?_

The bubbles immediately popped up to show she was typing out a response.

_It's not my fault you're _  
_getting sloppy._

_Yeah yeah. I need _  
_breakfast. Wanna join?_

_Great cuz I'm starving._  
_Cauli-Brains. 20 minutes._

He typed a quick '_Cool_' response before heading to the bathroom for his morning pee and doing his usual routine to start his day.

* * *

Cauli-Brains was a little vegan restaurant Eliza couldn't get enough of. Anytime she got to pick, this was the place. Zed liked it too. Their slogan was '_Veggies are the best brain food._' It was catchy.

His friends were both there waiting when he walked in. Bonzo waved vigorously at him in greeting.

"I couldn't leave him out." Eliza told him plainly as he sat down in the booth beside his hug-loving friend. Of course he received a big side hug as soon as he was seated, not that Zed was complaining.

"I wouldn't expect you to." Zed agreed, smiling over at his burly buddy.

They chatted lightly, with Bonzo just chuckling and nodding along in silence as usual, until their waitress brought their drinks and took their orders.

"Ok, so spill! How'd ya do it? I didn't see anything on the news this morning. Did ya dump her off somewhere they just haven't found yet?" Eliza prodded in a whisper, to not alert anyone who may be close enough to hear. Zed scratched the back of his head in an almost uncomfortable manner.

"Uh, no. I, um, didn't complete the mission." He told them in a small voice, even avoiding eye contact.

"Oh, well you got her to like you right?" She offered in support. Zed kinda shrugged with a head tilt.

"I think so? We were making out behind the club last night." He confirmed questionably.

"That's a good signal that she _definitely_ likes you. Did you ask her out tonight?" Eliza continued to pry.

"Well yeah! I texted her again this morning." He answered.

"You can take her out after dinner! No biggie!" She chimed encouragingly. Zed pouted.

"First problem, she hasn't texted me back. Second," he paused in debate of continuing, "I, I think I like her." Bonzo turned to face him fully and Eliza's jaw might as well have been touching the table.

"You what?" She finally asked for clarity like she'd heard him wrong. Zed combed his fingers through his hair in frustration.

He knew this could really mess things up. For Z.O.M.B.I.E.S., for his dad, and everyone associated with their company. But. He couldn't deny how he felt hanging out with her. How right it felt to hold her in his arms. How innocent she looked from under those damn long lashes. 

"I think I like her. I don't know ok?!" He let out a heavy sigh. "I didn't mean for this to happen, I was just flirting and she was flirting back and then I was buying her drinks and we got to talking and," he rambled out before he paused, "dancing...? Fuck! I'm screwed." He threw his face forward to collide with the wooden surface of the tabletop.

"Since when do you fall in love with some chick you have sex with?!" Eliza demanded a little too loudly. Zed's face flamed in embarrassment. He shushed her with a glare.

"I didn't sleep with her! And I didn't say I love her!" He whisper yelled in defense.

Ever so conveniently, the waitress returned with their plates of the restaurant's signature Cauliflower Brains dish. With bright red cheeks, Zed smiled at her and muttered an embarrassed thank you before she left again.

"Ok so I don't see the issue!" Eliza whisper yelled back. "You don't even know her! If she's on the list, she's gotta be bad news. Don't get involved with this skank!"

Zed scowled at her choice of words. "You don't know that. None of us know what she even has to do with Mighty Shrimp, other than her family owns it. She could be completely innocent!" He argued. Eliza audibly scoffed.

"No one involved in Mighty Shrimp is innocent. You know that." She countered. Zed's jaw clenched is irritation. There's no way Lorelei was a bad enough person to be on a hit list. There's _no way_ she deserved that!

He reached for his back pocket and throws a fifty on the table. Way more than all of their meals would cost but he didn't care.

"I've lost my appetite." He snapped as he stormed off and out of the restaurant.

Eliza looked back at Bonzo, who looked like his cat was kicked mixed with worry. She frowned.

"I'll prove I'm right. This little bitch is hiding something and Zed's falling right into her trap. I can feel it!" Bonzo looked at her skeptically, effectively earning a glare from the green haired girl.

"Fine! Don't believe me! I'll show you and Zed both!" She grabbed her messenger bag off the booth seat and pulled out her laptop.

With minimal effort, she got _back_ into Addison Lorelei Davis's bank account. Scanning through her transactions, she noticed the pattern of her usual morning routines like Zed had. Coffee, gym, lunch. But all of those were usually much earlier in the day. She must have slept in, like Zed had.

Zed probably hadn't recognized her excessive shopping habits since he's a stupid _dude_. One shop of which was on there weekly, sometimes more!

"If they're going out again tonight, I'm sure she's gonna buy a new outfit." Eliza grumbled more to herself than Bonzo. Then she shut her laptop to shove it back in her bag. "But I'm not about to let him waste this delicious food." She retorted, poking a cluster and popping it in her mouth as she mentally went over her plan of exposing this little rat.

* * *

All it took was hearing the words '_keep the ammo_' for her to realize what it was this girl was hiding. She promptly left the adjacent dressing room and tore through her bag to find her phone. She had to warn Zed. This bitch is an assassin.

_Ring..._

_Ring..._

_Ring..._

"Damnit pick up!" She quietly cursed through gritted teeth. Her pace was quick down the street heading away from the girls who would obviously have a problem if they knew an enemy assassin was nearby.

"_If you're calling to apologize, I graciously accept._" He joked.

"Oh thank god!" She sighed in relief that he _finally_ answered.

"_I'm glad we're on the same page!_" He laughed. Eliza groaned in aggregation.

"Would you shut the fuck up for 2 seconds?!" She snapped.

* * *

"_Would you shut the fuck up for 2 seconds?!_" She snapped. Zed was taken aback by her lack of humor. They always break the ice with jokes after they've had an argument. But she goes on before he can ask what her problem is. "_She's an assassin!_" Zed raised a brow in confusion.

"What are you talking about? Who?" He questioned.

"_Lorelei! I followed her and her assassin friend while they were out shopping! She was trying on dresses and they started talking about where she was gonna hide her ammo!_" Eliza clarified in a ramble. Zed snorted.

"There's no way. You must have gotten the wrong girl." He refused.

"_It was definitely her!_" She argued.

"Oh yeah? Did her friend call her by name?" Zed countered.

"_Well, no, but it was definitely her face!_" She said, standing her ground. Zed was silent for a moment while he considered if she was right. He had shown her a picture of Lorelei.

"White hair and all? That's a dead giveaway." He asked, starting to believe his childhood friend. Eliza was then silent for a long pause.

"_No. She was blonde. But I know it was her! You gotta believe me!_" She begged. He scowled and his eyes narrowed. She was just trying to turn him against her.

"You've gotta be kidding me right now." He seethes. He opened up and told her about his feelings. And what does she do? Takes it upon herself to sabotage what _could_ make him happy.

"_Zed, listen to me-_" she started but he quickly cut her off.

"No! You listen to me!" He shouted. "There's no reason for you to involve yourself in this any further. I'll call when I decide to forgive you. Until then, don't call me." He heard her start to protest but he was already ending the call.

He was fuming. How could one of his best friends be like this?! All he wants is to be happy. This girl could be it! Why is that so wrong?! His phone immediately starts buzzing with another incoming call from _Code Breaker_ and he tosses his phone on the couch across the room.

The longer he stewed in anger, the longer his gears started to turn. What was Lorelei's involvement with Mighty Shrimp? How deep was she really in it? He grabbed his phone, erasing the five missed calls from his supposed friend, and pulled up the file his father had emailed him. Now that he's searching for her association to Might Shrimp, there's really nothing there. Other than her family ties. His brows furrow.

Maybe he should approach her more cautiously until he can find out the truth for himself.

* * *

He pulled up to _The Glass Lounge_ about 10 minutes early. It's a fancy local hot spot for an elegant fine dining experience. He'd only been here once, not really caring for the over priced food just to say he can afford it. But figured Lorelei would probably enjoy it, given the type of club she led him to last night.

He let out a deep sigh before getting out of his car, walking casually to waited out front with his hands tucked in his suit pockets. He wasn't even sure she was gonna show up. She never responded to his text, though he could see that she'd seen it.

He adjusted his tie nervously and brushed off his white button down to make sure not a speck tarnished his clothing. His silver Gucci belt would shine with even the tiniest glint of lighting. But, of course, he needed just a touch of Zed to the outfit, so his black Converse sneakers made the cut. He wanted to impress her but not lose himself in the process.

It wasn't long before a black Mercedes with tinted windows pulled up and into the parking lot. He watched it anxiously and, sure enough, the white haired beauty emerged moments later. He sighed in relief, some of his tension already dispersing from her arrival.

After a quick tug adjustment to the bottom of her dress, she turned and made her way to the front of the restaurant. She noticed him and smiled sweetly as she approached. He gulped as he drank her in. The off white sweater dress hugged every one of her curves to perfection. And the button down style gave a little v to give a nice view of her cleavage. Her high heeled boots also doing amazing things for her legs and ass as she strutted towards him.

"Hi." She greeted, seeming a little dazed as she looked him up and down.

"Hey." He breathed. She placed her free hand, not holding her clutch purse, on his shoulder and stretched up, him leaning down, and kissing each other's cheeks in polite intimate greeting. He put his hand across the small of her back. "Shall we?" He offered with a sly smile. She giggled, possibly the sweetest sound he's ever heard, and nodded her agreement.

The hostess smiled as they entered. "Hello! Do you have a reservation this evening?" She asked. Zed shook his head and she gave him an odd look, that made the girl beside him giggle.

"No, no reservation. I was hoping you might have a private table we could have access to." He explained with an unfaltering smirk. The hostess's brow quirked in annoyance.

"Hmm, I'll have to check our availability. We usually require reservations of our private tables two weeks in advance." She replied, obviously not wanting to help them anymore. If her resting bitch face had anything to say about it. Zed frowned, his back straightening and letting go of Lorelei's waist, as he took a step forward.

"I'm not actually asking. I'm telling you to get us a table." He told her in an authoritative, almost threatening, tone. The girl's nose scrunched in disgust but picked up her pencil anyways.

"Ok, _Sir_," she said sarcastically, "what can I put your name down as?" Zed gritted his teeth to keep from losing his temper.

"Zed. Nec-ro-dop-ol-us." He enunciated for her. Her pencil tip snapped as she looked back up with horror-stricken eyes.

"Oh my god! I'm so sorry Sir! I-I didn't recognize you! P-please forgi-" Zed put a hand up in annoyance to cut her off.

"I honestly don't wanna hear it. We've been waiting far too long for our table." He stepped back to put his hand on Lorelei's back once again.

"Y-Yes Sir. Right this way." The poor hostess ducked her head and grabbed two menus while leading them to the back private tables.

"You toyed with her way too long, Big Shot." Lorelei leaned closer to whisper.

"She shouldn't treat anyone with that much disrespect, whether they have money or not." Zed leaned in as well to whisper, so close that his lips brushed the shell of her ear. She shivered against his side.

Her eyes dropped to the floor, he assumed to avoid eye contact with him, but then she gasped as she realized the decor of the restaurant. The place wasn't called _The Glass Lounge_ for nothing. The entire floor was slabs of thick glass with light displays and water feature under your feet at every step.

He chuckled. "Pretty right?" He asked quietly. She looked up at him with shining eyes.

"It's gorgeous! How have I never heard about this place before?" She rhetorically asks in disbelief, looking around to all the different patterns and layouts.

"It's a pretty exclusive place." He said, sounding proud of himself, causing her to snort.

"Exclusive to rich assholes?" She teased. He put a hand on his chest with his jaw dropped open in feigned offense.

"I am no such thing Miss!" He joked back, successfully getting her to laugh.

The hostess showed them their table, a semicircle booth with privacy curtains keeping it sectioned off from the rest of the restaurant, with her head down in defeat and looking like she might burst into tears. Zed sighed, he wanted to hurt her feelings, it was to teach her a lesson, but he also felt really bad. Damn his compassionate heart!

He made sure Lorelei was able to get into her seat then turned to the hostess. "Don't be too upset. It's not like I'm gunning to get you fired or something, but think twice before treating someone off the street like they're lesser than you." He told her, hoping she'd take his advice to heart.

"I will Sir. I apologize again." She replied, still obviously unhappy with her behavior. "I'll get you a bottle of champagne, on the house." She said before hurrying off. Zed sighed again, still feeling bad for being so harsh. He sat down beside Lorelei with a moping expression plastered on his face. She giggled and punched his arm playfully.

"Don't beat yourself up. Your heart was in the right place." She assured him with a smile. Her soft assuring eyes made his heart flutter. But then she smirked. "Plus, it's kinda sexy when you take charge of the situation." She added, wiggling her eyebrows jokingly to lighten his mood. He chuckled and she seemed to light up proudly. He leaned forward with his own sly smile and he can't help thinking how cute she looks with that blush on her cheeks.

"I'm really good at taking charge." He told her suggestively, making her gulp.

He was sure he could have kissed her had the hostess, accompanied by their waitress, not shown up. The two women pop the bottle open and poured both of them a glass. They put in their orders and kept a light conversation all the way through their meal.

Zed could sit and talk to her for hours but knew his time with her was running out. He needed to know how she was associated with Mighty Shrimp. Though, she beat him to the punch.

"So! I can see you're pretty well off. What d'you do for a living?" She asked, looking up at him innocently. He chuckled like she'd told some untold joke but smiled nonetheless.

"I work for a law firm called Z.O.M.B.I.E.S." He told her. She tilted her head curiously.

"Z.O.M.B.I.E.S. huh? So you're a lawyer or something? What kind of cases do you take?" She had leaned forward with genuine curiosity. He shook his head.

"I actually just work for my dad. He owns the joint." He joked lightly. Her brows raised with teasing surprise.

"Daddy owns it? So you're just a trust fund baby then." She teased. Zed laughed.

"I wish!" His laughter contagious. "No, I work in a special division. It's kinda confidential stuff." He leaned in real close to whisper. "If I told ya, I'd have to kill ya." He told her with a smile and wink to show he wasn't serious (at least that she knew of). She laughed and he decided it was his turn.

"So what about you? What's your work situation like?" He diverted the same question her way.

"I also work in a special division of my family's company. Maybe you've heard of it? Mighty Shrimp Industries?" She told him, her nose up and chest puffed out proudly. He scoffs, working the 'get her mad and she'll spill all the info he needs' card.

"Oh yeah. I've heard of them alright." He retorted. She blinked in confusion and scowled at his obvious rudeness about her company.

"And you have a problem with them?" She questioned in agitation. The exact reaction he wanted.

"Oh I don't know, maybe how they're money grubby corporate assholes who cut corners to make a quick buck?" He countered, still just trying to get under her skin. She was clearly offended, her cheeks flushed red from anger.

"How dare you! You don't know anything about our company! About me!" She protested.

"I know they dump 75 percent of their waste in local waterways all across the country! I know they underpay their employees and even manufacture overseas just to save a penny! In sweatshops crowded wall-to-wall with workers making less than a dollar a day! And we've handled so many cases of consumer illness because of cutting corners with the FDA!" He listed.

"N-None of that is true!" She denied in a fluster.

"It's sad right? And they keep it all hidden and covered up from the public eye. I'm curious what else they're hiding?" He implied.

And suddenly her lips are on his. He's not sure if it's just to shut him up, or what it was, but he couldn't really focus on that anymore. She was basically on his lap with her hands in his hair and her tongue battling his. It wasn't until they hear the gasp of the waitress that they remembered where they were.

"Let's take this somewhere more private." Lorelei whispered. He raised a brow in question. "You gotta nice car right?"

* * *

Zed groaned into her mouth as she straddled him in the driver's seat. His hands able to roam nearly every curve of her body from this position. Her lips moved from his lips to trail down his jaw to the pulse of his neck. His breathing raging, his heart racing. He's unsure if he's ever felt so alive as when he's been around this girl.

She removes her lips from his skin with a pop and then smirks down at him.

"Payback's a bitch." She teased. His hand came up to wipe the spot she'd just left and realized she'd been sucking on his neck. She left a hickey. He narrowed his eyes but never stopped smiling along with her.

"It sure is Baby!" He countered, latching his lips to the curve of her cleavage. She squeaked but doesn't push him away, for only a moment, then pulled his face back up to kiss his mouth.

When they finally emerged for air, Zed searched her eyes for anything that would tell his gut she wasn't good for him. But everything inside him told him otherwise.

"Would you, maybe, wanna come back to my place? Since we're both pretty sober this time?" He asked with an added light joke. She giggled but her smile quickly faded and she looked back at him apologetically.

"I really can't. I'm sorry." She said, sounding sincere. His heart dropped, but could he really blame her?

"Don't be sorry. I get it. Maybe some other time." He said halfheartedly.

Lorelei brought her hands up to cup his cheeks and bring his eyes up to meet hers. She looked conflicted again. Like she wanted to say something but couldn't. Instead, she leaned back in for a slow, emotional kiss that lingered then finally pulled back again.

"Thanks for dinner. But, um, I should go." She said in disappointment.

"Don't mention it. I'll, uh, see you later?" He asked hopefully. She smiled sadly without an answer as she opened his door and climbed off him.

When the door closed behind her, his head dropped back against the headrest. Why did that feel like a breakup? Like she was cutting ties? Why did his heart hurt so much?


	6. Chapter 6

Addison's mind raced as she drove herself home. Her heart pounded in her chest, her body still warm and Zed's kisses lingered on her lips. Being with him felt so right. But she knew it was wrong. That didn't stop her from wanting to say yes to him, yes, always yes. Saying no hurt, it physically hurt her. She wanted to stay with him, kiss him, forever.

But he worked for Z.O.M.B.I.E.S. She knew that, but when she had tried to probe, tried to get _something_ that she could report back to Bucky, he just flipped it right back on her. Oh he got her so mad! And he spat all those lies at her. There's no way _anyone_ in her family would ever let any of those things happen.

_'Or would they?'_

No, there's no way. Her parents are good people. They taught her to recycle for Pete's sake! They would never let water dumping happen. But...but her parents weren't in charge. Her grandfather was. And she wasn't really that close with him. All she knew was he chose her name, Lorelei, because he knew she would be an asset. An expert killer. And he made sure of it, by paying for lessons and training and grooming her into the perfect killer. And her parents always stressed never wasting her grandfather's money.

Was he really so cheap that he'd risk public safety and employee health to save a few dollars?

She'd always been told to never ask questions. Everything they were doing was for the good of the company. But how good was the company?

She needed to call Bucky. To figure this all out. Maybe with some gentle probing, she'd be able to get rid of all the doubt Zed put in her.

* * *

Addison dreamed of Zed that night. It started off in the club, with them talking and laughing. And then they were at dinner, having light conversation. Zed's telling her about his least favorite shoes and why they're so god awful. He was really cute when he got passionate about things. And then he's asking her what random house object she would be and her first thought is air freshener, but she tells him the houseplant. The dream changes, and they were in some park, walking and talking under the stars. It's beautiful and she pointed it out, to which Zed replied that she was beautiful.

He kissed her and it wasn't like any of the kisses they ever exchanged. It started off sweet, slow, and gentle, but the longer they kissed the more of their souls they poured into the feeling. It's filled with emotion, like the last kiss she'd given him before going home.

Addison woke up in a cold sweat, out of breath and afraid that maybe she hadn't said no. Except she couldn't call it fear, it was something more. Like she wanted and both didn't at the same time. Her lips tingle as if the dream kiss were real.

With a glance at her clock, she finds that it's a little after four in the morning. Her alarm will go off soon, and she's afraid of falling back asleep.

She might as well get a head start on her day. Morning run, a bagel, then gym. She does all of the tasks as mindless as possible. They're routine, the most stable thing she's got right now. Her doubt in her family and in the company she's spent her whole life protecting is making the ground crumble between her feet. Cracks are spreading and if she's not careful, she'll fall right through.

She got home around seven and took the longest shower of her life. Her brain immediately goes to Zed, his kisses like fire against her lips, her neck, her chest. Now she truly regretted not saying yes to him, missing out on the opportunity to continue getting his kisses all night long. The kisses that made her burn inside. The kisses that brought her to life and killed her over and over.

Cold water. Lots and lots of cold water. She needed to calm down. The freeze shock is enough to reset her system. She needed to focus on what she would ask Bucky. She was supposed to blindly trust everyone—Bucky, her parents, her _grandfather_. Mighty Shrimp was the family baby. She was supposed to protect it. She couldn't even imagine what would happen if they suspected her loyalties falling somewhere else.

She gets changed into a pair of grey sweatpants and a white tank top. She wasn't supposed to go to the office in something so unprofessional, but her head was to swarmed to care about how she looked.

When she left her bedroom, Bree already had breakfast made. Addison poked at her food while Bree sat across from her, on the phone with someone asking her for some help with a hit. Addison didn't listen in, and was completely zoned out until Bree asked, "So how was your date last night?"

Addison glanced at her friend. She had to lie. There was too much at risk to get Bree involved. "Fine," she said shortly.

"Did you get anything for Bucky?"

Addison shrugged. Knowing her best friend, Bree would ask one more question before trying to figure out what was wrong.

"What happened with Zed?"

She gets a flash of them making out in the booth, then the car. "Nothing."

"Addy—"

Addison stood up, letting her fork drop to her plate. "I'm gonna head in early today. I've got a lot to do."

Bree looked like a hurt puppy. Addison refused to look at her best friend, she just knew the face Bree would be making. She left the kitchen and went to the door, pulling on her coat, grabbing her bag and keys, and left.

* * *

It's not even eight yet, but Bucky is at his desk. He looked up from his computer when she walked in and his eyes immediately widen in surprise. Addison was never at work that early, he knew something had to be up. Once she sat down, he said, "You're early."

"Couldn't sleep," Addison simply said.

"You have a mission report for me?"

Addison shook her head, confusing her cousin. "I couldn't sleep because my mind was racing. I figured you could help me with that."

"How so?"

"I just have a few questions, they're not hard, I just want some honest clarity for once."

Bucky raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"I don't understand why I'm never allowed to ask questions," she said. "Or why I'm never included in business meetings, especially the ones hosted by my parents. How am I supposed to trust something if I'm left in the dark so often?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Are we the bad guys, Bucky?" Addison asked, her eyebrows pinched together in worry but her eyes still serious.

"Are we the—why would you ever think we were bad! It's everyone else who're out to get us!" Bucky scoffed and ran a hand through his hair. "You know we have to protect the family. Family comes first, Addison."

He was avoiding telling her the truth. She knew he was hiding something, but she couldn't believe he was still lying to her face.

"Family shouldn't lie to each other!"

"Who's lying to you?" Bucky cried desperately. "We tell you everything!"

"That's a fat fucking lie," she spat. "You only tell me what I _need_ to know, but who are you to decide what I need? Why is it every hit I get, there's always stuff that's blacked out? If we were really family, I would be able to know everything!"

Bucky's face went from incredulous to confused. "You never had a problem before? Why is it suddenly so hard to deal—" Realization dawned on his face and fear surged through Addison. He was a million times better than her at everything, of course he figured it out. More cracks were spreading beneath her feet, the ground crumbling.

"This can't be because of that guy?" When Addison didn't answer, he laughed humorlessly. "I thought you were better than that, Addison. Letting some guy come between what's right."

"He's not just some guy!" she spit out.

"Don't think I don't know about your little rendezvous with the man you were supposed to kill," he said harshly. "How dare you betray your family for a Zombie. And then come in here, doubting us. Doubting yourself. I should've reported it when I had the chance."

Rocks and dirt were falling through. She was losing her stability.

"You wouldn't betray your family like that," she said, her voice small and strained with the effort not to cry.

Bucky was quiet, and Addison can feel her world falling through. Cracking and crumbling around her.

"I'm doing what's right. Someday you'll understand." Bucky stood up. "Don't leave this room," he warned as he left, closing the door.

Cracking and crumbling.

Bucky was hiding something from her, and she needed to know what. She got up and went around his desk, sitting in his chair. His computer was on and thankfully unlocked. It took a few minutes for her to find her folder: _HITS Davis, Addison Lorelei. _All of the files are labeled with the name of the person on the hit. She can see the pried previews of the files, each one describing the reason for the hit. Zed's is at the top of the list.

_Necrodopolus, Zed Jacob; 23 yo; Associate of Z.O.M.B.I.E.S.; position unknown; son of Zevon Necrodopolus; _ ** _status: PENDING_ **

_Marks, Edward Jackson; 58 yo; CEO of West Sencosize; blackmail—leak videos of factories in Philippines; _ ** _status: COMPLETE_ **

_Collins, Michael; The Journal reporter; held statements detailing employee salaries; _ ** _status: COMPLETE_ **

Zed's voice rang in her head. _"I know they underpay their employees and even manufacture overseas just to save a penny! In sweatshops crowded wall-to-wall with workers making less than a dollar a day!"_

_Ryler, Elizabeth; 47yo; FDA Agent; reporting malpractice; _ ** _status: COMPLETE_ **

_Johnson-Smith, Zane; 31 yo; Z.O.M.B.I.E.S. defense attorney; discovered secure files detailing bribery of FDA agents; _ ** _status: COMPLETE_ **

_"And we've handled so many cases of consumer illness because of cutting corners with the FDA!"_

_Alvarez, Hazel; 38 yo; Z.O.M.B.I.E.S. public safety attorney; uncovered illegal dumping; _ ** _status: COMPLETE_ **

_"I know they dump 75 percent of their waste in local waterways all across the country!"_

Every single one of her hits were like that. Five years worth of hits, all to hide the horrible, inhumane actions of her family's company. And she did them all willingly, without any question. She scrolled through the list, reading through all the names of all of her past hits. A knot twisted in her gut; she never got sick at the idea of assassinating people, but the thought of murdering innocent people made her stomach cramp in the worst way. Still, she couldn't stop. She scrolled, reading as the ground crumbled beneath her feet.

The page ended, and she read the last name, her very first hit.

_Necrodopolus, Zora; 39 yo; founder of Z.O.M.B.I.E.S.; wife of Zevon Necrodopolus; _ ** _status: COMPLETE_ **

The ground falls beneath her feet and she's falling.


	7. Chapter 7

He didn’t sleep much that night. And the couple hours he was able to catch a few z’s, it was filled with blue eyes, white hair, and pink lips. He woke up in tears. His heart aching for the first time in years. But not for the same type of loss. 

His mother’s death was excruciating. It was like losing a part of himself when they put that pinewood box in the dirt. But this felt like his heart was being punched repeatedly, over and over, with every beat. 

He rolled onto his back and didn’t bother wiping his face. The last stray tears sliding down the sides of his face as he stared up at the ceiling. 

Why was he feeling so hurt? He was supposed to kill her for Pete’s sake! He winced even at the thought. He’s known her for a total of 3 days. Day 1, being assigned her hit. Day 2, having the greatest night of his life. Day 3, getting dumped after making out in his car. 

His hand reached up to graze over the spot on his neck that he knew she’d left a hickey. His eyes fluttered closed as he went back to that short time when she was in his arms and her lips were on him. It was less than 12 hours ago but it felt like an eternity. He finally wiped his eyes but made no effort of moving out of his bed. He was content wallowing in his sorrows. 

That was until his phone rang. 

He debated even reaching over to grab it, or just letting it go to voicemail, but ultimately decided to just bite the bullet and answered the call, without even looking.

“Hello.” He answered in a flat tone. 

“_Good morning to you too Son! _” Zed shot straight up.

“D-Dad! Hi!” He stuttered obviously in a panic. 

“_Whoa! Calm down! Did I wake you or something? _” Zevon asked with a chuckle. 

“No, um, sorry, I’m just feeling a little out of it.” Zed replied as he ran his fingers through his hair. Zevon paused but then continued.

“_Alright then. I won’t keep you long, just calling for a status update on your assignment. _” Zevon said, getting down to business. 

“It’s, uh, I’m working on it.” He said softly. Zevon paused on the other end of the line. 

“_Are you ok Son? _” His father asked in concern. 

“Yeah Dad. At least I think so.” Zed assured him, even if he didn’t sound too sure himself. “But can I ask you something?” 

“_Of course! What is it? _” His father agreed eagerly. 

“What was it like when you first met Mom?” His voice came out barely in a whisper. The phone was silent for a long minute. Zed wondered if their connection dropped, but he heard his father sigh before he could even check the screen. 

“_It was like I hadn’t lived until the day she smiled at me. _” He finally admitted, his voice sounding sad and blissful all at once. Zed squeezed his eyes shut but smiled. 

“Thanks.” He said softly. 

“_ Just stay safe for me, ok? I love you, Zed. _” His father said sincerely. He smiled a little harder with tears threatening to spill. His dad doesn’t say he loves him often, but when he does, it really hits home. 

“I love you too Dad.” He assured him before hanging up. 

He debated for a little while longer what his next move should be. Does he take the path of tracking her down like an assassin would, to confront her face-to-face, cuz that’s all he’s known until now? Or does he take the path of normalcy and just send her a text to show he’s still there if she’s willing to have him? 

Either way, he’s made a decision. 

In no situation, no matter how this ended, would he ever harm a single hair on that beautiful girl who stole his heart’s head. 

Period.

He ended up typing out the possible text he’d send:

** _To: Lorelei_ **

_ Hey, I know I must have come off as a huge dick last _

_night, _ _but I don’t want what I said to ruin what could be _

_between us. I’ll take it all back. I’m so sorry for hurting _

_your feelings. Wanna give it another shot? _

Once it was typed, he knew this was definitely the approach he should take. He went ahead and sent the message, hoping she’d give him one more chance to do this right. To give her all of himself and not just the sides he wanted her to see. 

He also elected to pull up his group chat with _ Code Breaker _ and _ Silent Vandal _. He needed to mend their relationship too. Geez his life was a mess right now. 

_ Any chance you guys _

_ wanna meet up? _

He threw it out there and crossed his fingers they weren’t too mad at him for storming off yesterday. He got out of bed to start his day. Brushing his teeth and bed head, throwing on whatever T-shirt and jeans he had laying around, then plopped down on the couch.

He pulled up his group chat again, since he still hadn’t gotten a response, to see the faint grey ‘_ seen by all _’ under his message. He sighed and dropped his head back. Maybe he was too harsh on them. 

His thoughts were cut short when the doorbell of his elevator rang throughout the apartment. He furrowed his brows in confusion. He got up quickly and quietly, snatching his pistol and cartridge off the coffee table. He slid the ammo into the slot and cocked the first bullet into the chamber. He hurried to the buzzer system and pressed the intercom speaker. 

“Who is it?” He asked anxiously. The speaker came to life a second later with a familiar voice. 

“_Put the gun down and let us in, Stupid. _” He sighed in relief and buzzed them in, the elevator revealing his two best friends. He smiled sheepishly at them as he disarmed his weapon once again. 

“Damn, a little on edge huh?” Eliza teased with a smirk. Zed chuckled and ran a hand through his hair. 

“I guess, a little.” He admitted. Bonzo immediately marched up to hug him after hearing his response. 

“Thanks buddy.” He sincerely thanked. He really did need a hug right now. When he pulled back, Eliza looked him up and down. 

“You look like shit.” She observed. Zed glanced at her sideways in annoyance. 

“Thanks.” He replied with an eye roll, he waved for them to follow over to sit in the living room with him. “So what are you guys actually doing here? I know it would’ve taken you both longer to get here than just since I sent that text.” They exchanged a glance that made him nervous. 

“You want the honest answer? Or the answer I know you wanna hear?” Eliza offers. Zed gulps. Sure Eliza gives him a hard time a lot, but whenever she offers to lie in light of his feelings, it’s never a good sign. 

“Honest.” He said hesitantly. Eliza sighs. 

“We were coming anyways to make sure you were still alive.” She told him in concern. Zed let out a relieved laugh and fell back into the couch cushions. 

“You really don’t think I can take care of myself?” He joked. Eliza scowled. 

“I was worried! Sue me!” She yelled with a pout and avoiding looking at him to hide her embarrassment. He laughed and nudged her leg with his foot teasingly. 

“You do love me!” He poked fun. She finally looked over to glare at him.

“Not for long if you don’t shut the hell up!” She threatened. Zed continued to chuckle but stopped harassing her with his foot before she tried to rip it off. Even though they considered themselves zombies, they weren’t _ actual zombies _ so that would not end well for his foot.

“Were you guys really that concerned? This girl is like five foot nothing and probably weighs a hundred pounds soaking wet!” He joked. Neither of his friends’ faces even cracked. His own smile slowly dropping as he looked between them. “Seriously?” He asked in disbelief. 

Bonzo shook his head, his features etched in utter concern. 

“We are serious Zed.” Eliza said, leaning forward to lean on her knees. “This chick is bad news. She’s dangerous!” 

“Even if she is an assassin, I could hold her down with one hand tied behind my back!” Zed scoffed. Eliza sighed and stood up. 

“If you’re not gonna listen to me, I guess you’re on your own.” She said in resignation. “I’m done arguing.” Bonzo also stood and clapped a heavy hand on Zed’s shoulder. “You know where we’re at if you need us.” 

“Guys.” Zed started to try and stop them but Eliza just waved as the elevator door binged and opened for their exit. 

“Good luck out there Zed.” She bid him farewell. And he was alone again. 

“Arrrgh!” He growled out in frustration, digging the heels of his hands into his eye sockets. Was he really being that much of an asshole to everyone lately? He can’t be wrong, right? Lorelei is tiny! She can’t be that hard to handle, right?

Suddenly, his phone buzzed on the table. He assumed it was Eliza again. He grabbed the device and his eyes went wide.

_ Text Notification: _

** _Lorelei_ **

_ I’m downstairs in the lobby. _

_ Meet me there? _

His heart leapt to his throat. But he didn’t hesitate to jump out of his seat, grabbing his loaded pistol to tuck in the back of his jeans, and frantically press the elevator call button. He bounced impatiently as it rose back up to his floor. 

She came to his apartment? How did she even know where he lived?! But right now, he didn’t care. 

He had a chance to smooth things over, even though he was going to clear up the whole ‘if she is or isn’t and assassin’ issue so he could squash his beef with his friends in the process. The elevator dinged, he jumped in and took the painfully slow ride down to the ground level.


	8. Chapter 8

Bucky oversaw the majority of the assassins department, but when things went wrong with him, he reported to his supervisor, who also doubled as his uncle (and Addison's father), as well as several other big names. They gave Bucky the hits and Bucky would distribute them. Interactions with his supervisor were few and far between, unless there was a major issue.

Bucky was in such a rush, in such distress, that he nearly forgot to knock before he went into his uncle's office, who was mildly surprised to see him there. "What brings you here?" Dale asked.

"We have an issue," Bucky stated, on the verge of frantics. "I assigned the hit on Necrodopolus's son to the Eclipse, and…and the mission has been compromised."

Dale's expression hardened and Bucky shifted nervously. "Elaborate."

"He got in her head, got her to doubt the company and her role and—"

"Where is she?" Dale asked.

"Waiting in my office."

Dale stood up and Bucky turned and led them back down to his office, where Addison was supposed to be. Instead, they found an empty office and Bucky's computer displaying Addison's file.

'_Shit shit shit_,' Bucky thought. He looked at his uncle fearfully. "I don't—I didn't—She knows."

Dale pinched his eyes closed, his face pained. Bucky knew what the protocol was for a compromised assassin, but there was no way Dale would do that. Not to his own daughter.

"You know the drill," Dale said, his voice emotionless. "Eclipse must be eliminated."

* * *

_Necrodopolus, Zora; 39 yo; founder of Z.O.M.B.I.E.S.; wife of Zevon Necrodopolus; _ _ **status: COMPLETE** _

Addison read it over and over, hoping the words would change if she kept reading them. But no matter how much she read it, it never changed. It was all real, she killed Zed's mother. She couldn't even bring herself to open the full file; all she could think was, "_I killed Zed's mother._" Not once in her life did she ever regret a hit. Not until now.

Her world had fallen apart. Everything she thought she knew wasn't real. Bucky was reporting her, she'd get 'fired' and would end up a mysterious death. Just like all of her hits. If there was even a suspicion of disloyalty, they would execute her. She needed to get out of there, to run while she still could.

She got up and grabbed her phone, rushing out of her cousin's office. The people she passed give her funny looks and she ignored them, walking quickly through the office. Once she was through the door, she sprinted through the garage and to her car, throwing herself in and slamming the door shut. She didn't know where to go, where she would be safe or if she would ever be safe again.

Her phone vibrated on the passenger chair. Her first thought was Bucky, trying to figure out where she went. Or her parents, or her grandfather. The last thought sent chills down her spine. There was no way word would get up to her grandfather so quickly. Still, the possibility haunted her. Her worries didn't matter, because it's Zed.

_Hey, I know I must have come off as a huge dick last night, but I don't want what I said to ruin what could be between us. I'll take it all back. I'm so sorry for hurting your feelings. Wanna give it another shot?_

She was stupid, so _so_ stupid. She should have killed him that first night. That way, she wouldn't have gotten attached. She wouldn't be sitting in her car, afraid for her life because for the first time in her life she's conflicted between a man and her family. If she had done what she was supposed to, she wouldn't have fallen in love with him.

Two days. She's known Zed for two days. That isn't enough time to be in love. But yet. Zed was the only thing that was making sense right now.

She tore up her car in search of his file, finding it scattered on the floor of her backseat. His suspected address was on the second page and Addison punched it into her GPS, pulling out of the garage. She needed to get as far away as possible, put as much distance between herself and Mighty Shrimp as possible. It's only when she's a mile away did she realize she needed to get rid of her company car. They could track her, and she could put Zed in danger. He was _her_ assignment, and she wouldn't let anyone kill him.

She ditched her car in a Walmart parking lot, having half a mind to put on her wig, and walked the rest of the way. Zed would only recognize her with the wig anyway, plus it helped ease her nerves. The white hair, after all, was a disguise.

She stopped in front of a tall, luxurious building to make sure it was the right address. She already had a hunch he lived there. It was expensive and classy, just like Zed. After waiting in the lobby for a minute, she realized she hadn't told Zed she was even there. Her brain wasn't working at all, too occupied with trying to avoid thinking about her family and her business and the reality of her hits—she needed to breathe. "_You need Zed_."

_ **To: Zed** _

_I'm downstairs in the lobby. _

_Meet me there?_

He read the message but didn't respond, making her more anxious. What if he knew? What if he found out Addison was the real killer of his mom? No, there was no way. Everything remained classified, she always used an alias. She was always careful. "Make no mistakes," they had told her. "Leave no trace. Get in and get out and get it over with." She was the Eclipse, and when she wasn't she was Lorelei.

The elevator dinged, the doors opened, and she locked eyes with him.

Zed.

Her vision tunneled and all she could see was the tall, green haired man standing frozen in the elevator. All she could hear was the blood pounding in her ears, all she could see was Zed. Every emotion she'd been running through all day came crashing through and she wanted to cry and vomit, her breathing running rampant and the pressure already building behind her eyes. Her legs were moving before her brain could even give them the command, and she was running to him and he to her.

They ended up crashing into each other, arms around the other and the floodgates burst. Addison sobbed against him and he held her tight. She stopped falling, stopped floating through the air as her world fell apart around her. Because she had Zed and he cared about her.

He grounded her.

She lifted her head and grabbed him by his hair, pulling him down and crashing her lips against his. Zed groaned, immediately lifting her up for better leverage. She's crying and they're barely kissing, their lips clumsily meshing together. Stars didn't explode behind her eyes, she didn't hear angels singing in the background and the world didn't seem any different. She was in sweats and sobbing her eyes out and pretty sure he wasn't even wearing any shoes. It was complete shit, but that kiss was so real and raw and them, that she couldn't help but smile as she pulled him closer.

She barely registered the doorman clear his throat loudly, but Zed did and pulled away from her. Slowly, she opened her eyes to see Zed looking sheepish. "Would you, maybe, wanna take this upstairs?"

Addison let out a watery laugh, hiccuping. She couldn't even understand _why_ someone as amazing as him would be a target, let alone have feelings for her, and yet, here they were.

She nodded her head, tears still spilling down her cheeks, and Zed grinned. He carried her to the elevator, hitting his floor and letting the doors close before Addison peppered kisses all over his face. It's lasted a minute before Zed pulled away, his eyebrows pinched together in worry. "Are you okay?" he asked.

She had half a mind to kiss him, avoid the question, do what she's been wanting to do all weekend long. But Zed is the most true thing in her life right now, lying again would kill her inside.

"No," she croaked. "I just—You were right. You were right about everything and I was so stupid and-and—" She dropped her head against his shoulder, unable to keep herself from crying again.

"Woah, you're okay Lorelei," he mumbled against her hair.

He held her in his arms until the elevator stopped. She sniffed and lifted her head, wiping her eyes and wiggling out of his grasp. As soon as her feet were on the ground, she dropped her gaze to her shoes and muttered, "Sorry."

"You're like, a hundred pounds," he said, going for some lighthearted teasing. She lifted her eyes to look at his soft smile. He stepped toward the pin pad and put in a code, the doors slid open to reveal the white walls of his penthouse. They stepped into the main living area that was very open and airy, large windows giving an amazing view of this autumn morning over Seabrook.

"How about you make yourself comfortable on the couch and I'll get some hot chocolate." He offered, already making his way to the kitchen with white marble countertops and matte black cabinets. She nodded as she went over to the white sofa.

The huge flatscreen tv that's mounted to the wall was pending like he started to scroll through Netflix but maybe she'd interrupted him. It was only a few minutes later when Zed returned with two mugs of hot chocolate as promised and set them down on the glass coffee table in front of her. "I'll be right back, okay?" he said, waiting for her to nod before walking briskly out of the room and down a hallway.

He came back with a box of tissues, plopping down beside her and putting the box between them.

"Do you wanna tell me what's going on?" Zed asked.

Addison nodded, shifting on the couch so she was facing him more. She didn't even know where to start, what would freak him out and what she shouldn't say. She needed to be honest with him though. She knew how it felt to be lied to and she couldn't do that to Zed. Even if everything was ruined, she needed to lay it all on the table. No more lies.

"I haven't been telling you the truth," she admitted. Zed raised a curious eyebrow. Hell, he was so cute and innocent (occasionally) and she couldn't do this to him while looking at him. She looked at cushion between them. "My name isn't Lorelei. Well, it is. But it's my middle name. I only use it when I don't want anything traced back to me."

"Huh?"

"My real name is Addison, and…" she lifted her eyes to gauge his reaction as she said, "and I am a trained assassin. I was assigned to kill you."

Zed's eyes go wide and Addison trudged on. "I was supposed to kill you and I can't because I think I might be in love with you which is insane since we've only known each other for one weekend," she said quickly. "And everything you said was true—my family is a bunch of dirtbags who only care about money and protecting their own asses. Every single hit I've done has been for nothing other than to hide their shady shit and I just can't believe I've been so stupid for so long!"

She stopped, unsure if she should continue or if she even had anything else she wanted to tell him. Her chest burned and she realized she hadn't taken a breath at all. Her eyes were stinging and her stomach churned like it had been all morning. What if Zed thought this was all too much? What if he reported her? What if it was all in vain and she was reading into something that wasn't even real?

"This was stupid," she muttered, standing up quickly and rushing toward the elevator. She needed to run, run far away and get out. No, she couldn't. Mighty Shrimp would send people to kill her anyway, there was no where she could hide where they wouldn't find her. No where was safe, she was already dead.

Zed grabbed her arm and pulled her back before she could reach the elevator. "Lore—I mean Addison—don't, don't go," he said. She stayed facing away from him, doing her best to stop herself from crying again.

"I'm an assassin too."

Her heart stopped.

"I was also assigned to kill you."

Her chest burned again, the bile rising in her throat. "I'm gonna be sick," she managed to mumble.

* * *

She wasn't proud to admit that she didn't make it to the bathroom the first time, first puking on the hallway floor and then finishing in a garbage can he found in the hall closet. When she finished, he led her to the bathroom and just as she was about to clean up, she threw up again, this time in the toilet.

Once she'd finished—cleaned up and everything—her and Zed went back to the couch and sat down. "I'm guessing you don't want any, now lukewarm hot chocolate?" he asked.

Addison shrugged. "I haven't, uh, eaten anything. Since dinner."

"You haven't?" She shook her head. "And you just threw up? Twice?"

She nodded, her cheeks going pink. "Yep. To be fair, I've been nauseous all morning. It's sickening to learn that everything you thought you knew was a lie and everyone you trusted are slime balls."

Zed winced. "I bet." It's silent and Zed picked up his chocolate, taking a slow drink then set it down. "Last night, I was trying to get you riled up. So you could tell me some corporate secrets so I didn't have to kill you."

"Me too," Addison said. Then, to lighten them off a bit, she added, "At least you actually came pretty close."

Zed gave a painful looking smile in response. "Okay, let's clear the air," he suggested. "My legal, birth name is Zed. Twenty-three. Trained assassin for Z.O.M.B.I.E.S." He gestured for her to go next.

"Um, legal, birth name is Addison. My friends and family call me Addison, anyone I don't plan on killing calls me Addison. I don't talk to my hits often but when I do, I use Lorelei. She's a siren from Greek mythology who lured sailors to their death."

"Fitting."

"Yep." Addison nodded. "Twenty-three. Trained assassin for Mighty Shrimp." She paused to think if that was it, her hand absentmindedly stroking her hair. Oh right. "This isn't my real hair."

"It's not?"

Addison nodded, reaching up and pulling off her wig. "It's a disguise. For hits. The less real things are known about me, the lower my chance of being caught."

Zed nodded, slow and unsurprised. "Eliza was right," he muttered.

"What?"

"Nothing," he said. He clapped and continued. "Now that that's all cleared up, what were you saying about your family?"

"You were right," she said. "About-about everything. Every single person I've killed, it's been to protect their sorry asses from nothing other than their own bad choices."

Zed reaches over, putting his hand over hers. They were practically holding hands, making her heart rate pick up. Which was stupid because they've made out twice already and holding hands shouldn't make her nervous but it does.

"Addison, a few bad things doesn't make you a bad person," he told her in earnest. "What makes you a bad person is how you respond to that."

"But Zed, I killed so many people who didn't do anything."

"And so do I," he said. "Well, not for nothing, but still. Murder is murder. Neither of us have a clean slate."

"Zed," she said, struggling to find the words. "I-I killed your mom."

Faster than lightning, Zed pushed her off the couch and pinned her against the ground. A second too late, she whipped out her knife, nearly pressing it into his stomach before she regained her composure. This was Zed, who she loved and trusted, despite all the red flags. She loosened her grip, unable to put it away with the way Zed was pinning her down, and dropped it with a clatter to show her surrender.

Zed looked at her with angry eyes, his nostrils flared and his face growing red. His hand gripped her neck with slight pressure that it hurt but she wasn't suffocating. Not yet.

"Tell me it isn't true," his demanded through gritted teeth. He squeezed her throat and she gasped. "Tell me your lying!"

"I'm so sorry Zed. I had no idea." She half weazed out. His pressure around her neck tightened; it starting to get hard to breathe.

"You're lying!" He exclaimed hoarsely.

"T-they told me, I w-was proving myself. I-it, _she_ was, my first." She managed between garbled breaths. Salty tears landed on her cheeks as Zed cried over her, his hand gripping her throat tightly. She didn't blame him for a second. She was the reason he lost his mother. She could only imagine what kind of pain she put him through. What he's feeling now!

"It was a closed casket! I thought it was so I wouldn't remember how sick she looked! But no! It was because of you!" He screams. In one swift motion he releases her throat and has the gun whipped out from his jeans, pressed to her forehead. She gasped in an inflamed breath of air.

She was laying there, the man she loved pinning her to the ground, his pistol ready to end her with one bullet between the eyes, but she still couldn't bring herself to turn away from him. To flinch away from the cold metal against her skin. The welled up tears in the corners of her eyes spilled over the edges.

"I'd rather die by your hands than by theirs." She consented, willing to let him kill her right then and there.

Zed still sobbed wildly, his hands shaking and his finger on the trigger. Ready to end the heartless bitch that killed a teenage boy's sick mother. But his heart throbbed in his chest by even thinking of Addison that way. Why in the hell would he still feel like this after she admitted to killing his mother?!

He _wanted_ to hate her.

He _wanted_ to kill her.

But he couldn't.

Slowly, he pries his own finger from the trigger. Willing himself to restrain. He still loved this girl. With all his damn heart. When he's with her, the sun shines a little brighter. The sky seems a little bluer. Everything that he thought he knew was vivid and exciting again.

And none of it was her fault.

Zed tossed the gun onto the couch and pulled her up into his arms. They held each other, crying hysterically, for what felt like an eternity.

* * *

Addison's phone rang and, at first, she ignored it, opting to stay in Zed's arms. She had stopped crying a while ago but stayed in his arms, finding stability and comfort with him. Then it rang again, and she ignored it again. The third time, Zed groaned and pulled away from her. "Answer you phone," he complained.

Addison pulled it out of her pocket, not bothering to glance at the screen before answering. It was a poor choice, really. If it was someone like Bucky, they could track her location and eliminate her.

Luckily, it was just Bree. "_Adds, listen to me!_" Bree shouted in a panic.

"Huh?"

"_They're sending out a team to eliminate you, Addison you need to get out of town!_"

"What!?" Addison shot up in a panic. She knew it was protocol, sure, but her father was in charge of giving out the hit orders. She never believed her own father would sentence her to death. In the corner of her eye, she saw Zed stand up too and she turned to him, catching his worried look.

"_I don't know where you are or what you did but if you value your life, get out._" Bree hung up after that, most likely to protect Addison location.

Addison looked at her phone. The call was less than fifteen seconds; if it had hit thirty seconds, they'd be able to trace her phone and find where she was.

"Fuck," she cursed. She dropped her phone on the couch, putting her hands in her hair. "_Fuck fuck fuck_."

This was bad, this was really, _really_ bad.

"Addison, what's going on?" Zed said.

"They've put a hit on me. They've put a hit on me. They've put a hit on me." She looked up at him, already hyperventilating.

"What?"

"They're gonna kill me!" she shouted. "I-I need to run. I need to get out of here."

"Where are you gonna go? What are you gonna do?" Zed asked. He wasn't being harsh, sounding genuinely curious and concerned.

"I-I don't know," she stuttered. "I—They'll find me. They'll find me everywhere. I-I'll never be safe. Zed, what am I supposed to do? Where am I supposed to go?"

Zed stepped closer to her, taking her hands from her hair and holding them. "Whatever you do, wherever you go, I'm coming with you."

And. She wasn't expecting that.

"I'm a target too, Addison. Just because you won't kill me, doesn't mean they won't send someone else." Zed shrugged. "And, I…love you."

She sucked in a breath. "Really?" she breathed.

"Well yeah." Zed smiled, then nervously scratched the back of his head. "I've kinda been in love with you since talking at the bar in the club." He admitted, retaking both her hands into his. "No matter what happens, we're sticking together. I won't let anyone hurt you. At least not without a fight."

Addison couldn't take it anymore. She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him. How could they be so perfect for each other? They were born to be sworn enemies, and yet here they are. Holding one another, comforting one another, protecting one another. If that's not love, then what the hell is it?

Zed lifted her up to wrap her legs around his waist, as he walked her across the penthouse and kicked the door shut behind them. If tomorrow never came, they'd make sure to enjoy their last day together.


	9. Chapter 9

They were a tangle of arms and legs cuddled up in his bed, his white sheets covering their bare skin as they caught their breath. 

“Wow.” Zed breathed. 

“Yeah, ‘wow’.” Addison giggled. Zed reached up and tucked a stray blonde strand behind her ear. 

“Have I ever told you I have a thing for blondes?” He teased. Her eyes narrow but the smirk on her face tells him she’s not actually mad. 

“At least I know the carpet doesn’t match the drapes.” She teased back. “I was starting to think I’d have to worry about your genetics. Maybe you were  _ actually _ a zombie.” Zed chuckled. He kissed her forehead affectionately. 

“Even if it was, you know we’d make cute babies.” He teased back.

“Whoa, it is way too early for baby talk.” She laughed. Zed kissed her forehead again as they laughed and embraced. 

“We need to get up though.” He told her, sounding disappointed. She knew he was right. Might Shrimp could have tracked her here. And this address was already suspected as his residence. They weren’t safe here. Not for long at least. 

“I know.” She sighed, untangling herself from him to get dressed. 

He continuously stole hugs and kisses the entire time they got dressed and ready to leave. Partially to comfort her, but mostly ‘cause he was overwhelmingly in love. Every time, she’d giggle and  _ tell _ him they needed to hurry but also never  _ denied _ him.

“Take your shirt back off.” Zed ordered. She snorted. 

“How many times do we need to go over that we don’t have time for another round?” She said playfully. Zed laughed.

“No! You’re putting this on!” He explained, pulling a bullet proof vest out of his closet. He handed it to her and she held it, just staring at it, for a handful of seconds. 

“Zed, I can’t take this from you. You’ll need it.” She rejected. He shook his head. 

“Put it on Addison. I’ll be fine if I know you’ve got a little extra protection.” He said and continued preparing to leave, not letting her have a moment to argue anymore. 

While Addison equipped her knife holster around her thigh, Zed opened his nightstand’s drawer and pulled out a pistol, almost identical to the one he’d pulled on her that was still lying half forgotten on the couch. He loaded the clip and tosses it to her. She catches it with ease and tucks it in the front of her sweatpants. 

“You know how to use one of those?” He asked, heading for his dresser and pulling open the bottom drawer to retrieve an MP5, a submachine gun that was shorter than the usual rifle which made it so much easier in the accuracy department. Addison let out a dry laugh.

“Are you kidding? I’m probably a better shot than you!” She said. Zed chuckled. 

“I don’t think so Baby. Firearms are my specialty.” He informed her as he loaded his MP5. 

“My specialty is actually with knives. Throwing, stabbing, cutting, the works. But I was trained in all areas of expertise.” She explained. 

“Good to know! Guess my cutlery set from the kitchen’s comin’ with us too!” He joked, earning an eye roll. 

“Might not be a bad idea. Never know if or  _ when _ they’ll find us.” She said solemnly. Zed secured the strap and slid the gun onto his back then stepped forward to pull Addison in for a comforting embrace. 

“It’s gonna be ok. We’re together and we’re both assassins. Badass ones at that!” He assured her. She looks up at him hopefully. “You know, we shouldn’t have to leave. You’ve got intel on how they operate and I’ve got backup. We can fight back!” Addison smiled sadly up at him. 

“That won’t be easy. And there’s no telling if we’d even win.” She sighed. “I’m so sorry for dragging you into this.” Zed gently took her chin and lifted her gaze up to meet his.

“You didn’t. You were following orders. That’s it.” He told her seriously. “And if you still want to run, I’ll run right beside you. I just know we can take ‘em if you want to stay.” She thought it over for a few moments, then nodded with a confident smile. 

“Fight hard or die trying, right?” She agreed. Zed’s smile widened before he leaned down to capture her lips for a passionate kiss.

“I promise I’ll do everything in my power to keep you safe.” He vowed. She brought her hands up to cup his cheeks.

“And I’ll do my best to protect you too.” She also swore. His smile softened and he kissed her again. But they really couldn’t waste anymore time. 

“As much as I’d love to just crawl right back in bed with you, we really gotta get a move on.” He said. 

“You’re right. And you’re driving. I ditched my car a few blocks away since they’d trace it to me.” She explained as they headed out of the bedroom. 

“As long as your sitting in the passenger seat this time!” He teased, referring to their previous makeout session in his car. 

“Don’t make me regret not killing you.” She threatened playfully. He just chuckled as he grabbed his favorite pistol off the couch and checked to make sure the clip was full. He tucked it in the back of his jeans and hit the call elevator button, entwining their fingers as he held her hand and waited impatiently. 

This adrenaline was so familiar yet so new. Of course they’re both used to the adrenaline of a hit, but never from being on the receiving end. They needed to be completely focused and aware of every aspect of their surroundings. Someone could be waiting around any corner. 

The elevator dung as it arrived and they entered. The doors close and Zed pressed her against the hard metal wall, his lips ravishingly hers. 

“But Z-Zed! The elevator-!” She tried denying but couldn’t help kissing him back with her arms around his neck. 

“It takes exactly 2 and a half minutes to get to the parking garage.” He told her quickly. “Do you want me to stop?” He asked, completely willing to stop if she didn’t want him kissing her.

“Fuck it, I trust you.” She muttered, pulling him back down for another 2 minutes in heaven. 

When the elevator reached the parking garage, Zed pulled back just moments before the bell rang to indicate arrival. The door opened and Zed peaked his head out first to glance around. Once he could tell the coast was clear, he pulled her along quickly towards his green muscle car. 

“One sec.” Addison told him at the back of his Camaro. Zed raised a brow curiously as he watched her pull the phone out of her pocket and dropped it to the concrete before stomping her heel into the screen. 

“Good idea. I can get you a new phone once things die down.” He says, giving her a quick peck before they separate to get into the opposite sides of the car. 

They got in and he swiftly put it in reverse, his back tires running over the crushed device for good measure as he got them out of that apartment building as quickly as possible. He pressed the call button and instructed his phone to call  _ Code Breaker _ verbally so he could remain completely focused on speeding through traffic. 

“Code Breaker? So Z.O.M.B.I.E.S. assassins have hit names too?” Addison asked out of curiosity as the phone rang through the car speakers. 

“Well yeah! Why would we miss out on the coolest aspects of being assassins?” He joked. 

“What’s yours?” She continued to question. 

“Brain Eater.” He gave her a quick eyebrow wiggle before returning his focus to the road and simultaneously Eliza picked up. 

“ _ Hey Z. What’s up? _ ” He immediately felt so guilty again from her expressionless tone but he didn’t have time to dwell. 

“Hey E! Emergency meeting at Warehouse 42. Can you send Bonzo a quick text for me? I’m kinda driving like a mad man at the moment.” He said urgently. 

“ _ Holy shit. Warehouse 42? Are you ok? _ ” She asked in concern. 

“Yes. For now. I’ll explain there.” 

“ _ Got it. Be there asap. _ ” She confirmed and the line cut off. 

“I will warn you, Eliza kinda knew you were an assassin way before you told me, I just wouldn’t believe her.” Zed admitted. Addison turned in shock to look at him. “So she’s not gonna be all buddy-buddy with you at first. But I’m sure you guys will really hit it off once we clear the air!” He rushed to assure her. Addison slumped back in her seat and covered her face with both hands.

“Oh my god I’m gonna die!” She whined. Zed patted her knee.

“You’re gonna be just fine. You’re in good hands!” But she just groaned in response. Zed laughed as he weaved between cars that were going the speed limit, too slow for the ‘on-the-run’ assassins.

* * *

Zed pulled into the back parking lot of an old rundown warehouse, that was surrounded by more abandoned warehouses and other buildings that were in very rough shape compared to what's normal for Seabrook. 

“Welcome to Zombieland.” Zed told her. He half expected her to laugh but instead she was tensely looking out her window. “Hey, you alright?” He asked after putting the car in park. She seemed to snap out of her daze when she looked back at him. 

“I guess I’m just nervous.” She confessed. Zed softened, understanding her hesitation. Her entire world had been turned upside down and she was being asked to trust complete strangers with her safety. 

“Come on. Let’s get inside.” He said gently. She nodded and they headed into the warehouse. 

“What’s so special about  _ this _ warehouse? Seems like a dump to me.” Addison mused. Zed chuckled, leading her through the maze of crates that were stacked at a variety of heights, ranging from a single crates to stacks all the way up to the ceiling.

“This warehouse is basically a fortress.” He informed her. “Don’t worry, you’ll see soon enough.” And with one more turn, Addison jumped. Two bodies were perched on a few of the wooden boxes, both with green hair like Zed’s. In a flash, everyone but Zed had their guns drawn. 

“What the fuck is she doing here?!” Eliza screamed. Zed stepped straight into the path of all three weapons like a human shield. 

“Everyone calm down! We shouldn’t be fighting each other! We have bigger fish to fry!” He yelled. Addison kept her eyes glued to Eliza but was the first to retract her pistol and put it away. With the show of surrender from the blonde, Eliza and Bonzo reluctantly put their weapons down as well. “Thank you.” Zed breathed in relief. 

“Fine. Truce. Now spill!” Eliza demanded. Zed opened his mouth but Addison spoke first, stepping up beside him and addressing his friends.

“My name is Addison. I  _ was _ a trained assassin with Mighty Shrimp Industries. Until today when I started asking questions and chose Zed over my family.” She stated. Both the ‘zombies’ looked at her in surprise. 

“Wow.” Eliza mused. “Ok then.” 

“The Mighty Shrimp have put a hit out on her. We’re going to fight back.” Zed continued. Eliza made a face.

“And how does that affect us?” She questioned. 

“‘Cause if she goes, I go.” He said sternly. 

“You can’t be serious!” Eliza argued in disbelief. 

“Dead serious!” He screamed back, effectively shutting up his friend. “They assigned Addison to take me out. Since she didn’t, someone will if we don’t stop them.” He calmed his seething and stood up straight. “You guys are our last hope. Will you  _ please _ help us?” Zed begged seriously. 

His best friends look at him in silence for a long moment until they both smile softly. Bonzo jumped down off the box and hugged his buddy, then turns hesitantly (seemingly fearful) towards the petite blonde beside him. He extended his arms to her. Much to Addison’s surprise. It almost made her want to cry. She accepted his offer and she never expected a hug from someone she’d never met before to feel so healing. 

“Ok ok. Let’s get back to the issue at hand.” Eliza said, refocusing everyone. 

“You’re right. Time is ticking.” Addison agreed. “My cousin can gain access to any camera systems in the city.” She warns. “He probably already knows I’m here.” \

Eliza chuckles. “I have an Electromagnetic Field in place surrounding this entire building. Any electronic device activated within 80 yards of the walls of this warehouse will be fried instantly.” Eliza explains. Addison’s eyes widen in amazement as she continues. “No cameras, no phone calls, nothing gets inside this building.”

“But that won’t stop him from tracking me by street cams.” Her confidence dropped and her voice sounding defeated. 

“80 yards Ma’am. You drove into that blind stop almost a block away. He’ll have no clue where the fuck you ended up until you leave.” She assures her smugly. 

“Wow! You’re a genius, aren’t you?” Addison praised excitedly. Eliza’s chest was puffed out proudly. 

It happened so fast, but to Zed it was in slow motion. He caught sight of Bonzo pulling out his gun from the corner of his eye, then aiming it in Addison’s direction. Before he can react, Bonzo pulled the trigger. Zed’s wide eyes turn to the bullet’s destination and he would have sighed in relief if it were another circumstance. Addison was in shock, but safe. The bullet intended for an assailant that snuck up behind her, successfully piercing through the man’s forehead. 

Zed moves with lightning speed, grabbing Addison and ducking them behind a nearby set of crates. He saw Bonzo and Eliza both take cover on the same side as them as well when the gunfire starts. 

“Are you ok?” Zed focuses on Addison first. She takes a deep breath, that was too close. But she nods, her expression hardening. 

“Yeah. Let’s do this.” She says determined. He smirks. 

“Let’s do this.” He agrees, turning the MP5 from his back to his front and handing her his favorite handgun. She’s armed with a pistol in each hand and he’s got a submachine gun. They’re locked and loaded. Ready to fight for their lives. 

“Zed! You get two at your ten o’clock and three more between the twelve and two!” Eliza called over the gunfire. “I think there’s more but it will take me a minute to confirm their location! Can you buy me some time?”

“On it!” He confirmed, then turned to Addison. “Ready?” 

“Ready.” She smirked. 

They stood up and opened fire. Zed taking the right side and Addison taking the left. They easily took out three of them but the others had ducked out of sight. 

“We gotta get them all! They’ll just run back to Bucky if we don’t!” Addison exclaimed, climbing the box and taking off in the last known location of the remaining two. 

“Addison wait!” Zed called, not hesitating to run after her for just a little cover. 

Suddenly, she was ambushed from the side, knocking one gun out of her hand. Then Zed, receiving a right hook to the jaw. His first instinct is to make sure Addison is ok, but she obviously had her end under control, if having her attacker pinned under her said anything. He rubbed his offended chin and put his gun on his back once more, glaring at the man.

“You wanna fist fight? Let’s fist fight.” He said, squaring up with his fists raised. 

“You don’t stand a chance hand-to-hand Slim.” The man taunted. 

“Less talk Shithead.” Zed replied, stepping forward and landing punch after punch to his face and dodging every counter swing until the man was knocked completely unconscious. Zed stood up and shook his sore hand out of its clenched fist. 

“Damn! Fighting really shows off your sexy!” Addison teased. Zed chuckled and turns her direction, immediately noticing the blood bath she’d left in her wake. 

“Woah, you wasted zero time, huh?” He joked. 

“He was bigger than me. I’ve always been trained not to risk getting overpowered.” She shrugged. 

“Good point. Now, mind if I borrow my gun Miss?” Zed teased. Addison nodded, handing over the pistol. Zed stood over the man he’d just pummeled and finished him off with a bullet to the skull. “Brain Eater strikes again.” He mused proudly, handing the gun back to her. She rolled her eyes.

Their discussion was interrupted when an unexpected explosion came from where they’d left their friends. 

“Oh shit! Eliza! Bonzo!” Zed exclaimed, grabbing Addison’s hand and rushing back to help. 

When they got back with their weapons ready, the action was already over. Five more guys were laid out dead around them. Two of them had half their faces blown off from one of Eliza’s homemade explosives and the other three had bullets dead center in their foreheads. 

“Woah.” Addison commented in amazement. 

“That’s all of ‘em.” Eliza sighed. “But geez that was close!” Bonzo nodded in agreement. 

“Yeah. Too close!” Zed also agreed. “What was that?  _ Ten _ guys?!” Addison stepped forward. 

“They were part of the extermination team to take out personal threats. They were after me.” She explained, getting all of their attention. “They’re not gonna stop. We’re gonna need to take Mighty Shrimp from the top down. That’s the only way this will ever end.” She proclaimed. 

“But aren’t they your  _ family _ ?! Can’t you just convince them to stop?” Eliza asked in disbelief. Addison shook her head solemnly. 

“They’ve officially disowned me. I’m an orphan in their eyes.” She turned her sad gaze to Zed and her expression softened. “You’re the closest thing I have to family now.” Zed smiled and took her into his arms. 

“Before this gets too mushy, how about we make a game plan? We can’t hide out in this warehouse forever.” Eliza suggested. 

“Right. How about I get in contact with my friend Bree. She’d change sides in a heartbeat if it meant saving my life. She’s the one who warned me after all.” Addison said. 

“Sure, but we would need to lower the protective shield.” Zed pointed out. Eliza chuckled. 

“Cute that you think I don’t have ways around that.” She teased, pulling out her computer. She typed quickly across the keyboard. “This computer has its own field to cancel out the one surrounding the building. The only device that will work in the whole area.” She explained earnestly. 

“You really do have a plan for everything! I’m impressed!” Addison praised. Eliza smiles smugly at Zed. 

“I like this girl!” She exclaimed, making everyone laugh. “Ok, what’s your friend’s number? We’ll screen call her and this signal won’t be traceable.” 

“Best techie in Seabrook.” Zed agreed. 


	10. Chapter 10

Wherever Addison was hiding had top notch security. Bucky lost visual on his team and, one by one, each of their monitors—vitals and all—went offline, signaling their death. Wherever she was, she wasn't alone. There was no way she could take out ten of the top assassins on her own. Still, Bucky was impressed.

Dale was not.

"I need her dead, Bartholomew," he snapped. "The more time we waste the more of a threat she becomes."

Bucky knew the issue. Addison was a traitor, a threat to the company. But he never thought they'd put a hit on her. He never even believed Addison would betray their company, but he always thought that if she did (or someone else in the family did) there would be a bit of leniency because they were family.

"Sir, this is Addison we're talking about," Bucky said. "You know she's the best assassin we have. Shouldn't we be trying to get her back instead of eliminating her?"

"The rules don't change," Dale stated firmly.

"But…she's your daughter!"

"My loyalties are with the company, as yours should be, as _hers_ should have been!" Dale snapped, making Bucky flinch. He had never seen his uncle so angry. "I will not let Mighty Shrimp fail because of favoritism. I want her dead."

Bucky nodded, afraid to speak. He watched his uncle pace around his office for a minute, stop, and turn. "Troubleshooter's retirement is taking a break," he said with an eerily terrifying smile. "If anyone can take her down, it's you."

* * *

Bonzo found an ice pack for Zed's bruising jaw, even after the latter denied the gesture many times. He offered everyone ice but they all refused and he accepted it since none of them had any visible injuries. Zed was sitting on the floor and Addison sat between his legs, leaning back against him and appreciating the cold of his ice pack against her neck.

Eliza was sitting on a crate above Zed and Addison. "Okay Blondie, I'm gonna need you to tell me Bree's number," Eliza said.

Addison repeated the numbers, twice for Eliza, then said, "Every employee's phone is wired through security. It makes sure no one's giving out secrets or fraternizing with enemies. Once we call Bree, the system will identify my voice, which will put us at a huge risk. Are you sure they won't be able to track your computer?"

"Listen Blondie," Eliza stated. "I'm the best hacker, probably in the country. This place is secure for 80 yards. No one will find us unless _I _want us found."

"You are just great, Eliza, best hacker and humble," Addison teased with an eye roll.

Eliza waved her off. Her computer started ringing like a telephone. Addison listened, counting them off. Bree didn't answer unknown numbers until the sixth ring, which would give the securities system time to run the number. If everything Eliza said was true, they wouldn't be able to put a name or location to them (but Bree wouldn't know that).

"_Who's this?_" Bree answered.

Addison felt the tension in her shoulder dissipate at the sound of her best friend's voice.

"Bree," Addison said in response. "It's Addison."

"_Addy? Where are you calling from? What's going on? Where are you?_"

"Bree, I need you to listen carefully," Addison said. "We've been wrong the whole time. Everything they've told us is a lie. We were…we were pretty bad people. I've got an idea, to fix this, even things out a little so to say. And I need you. But if you choose to help me, it'll mean betraying the company."

"_What!?_"

"I know it's a lot to ask and I would completely understand if you refused and reported me and everything—" Eliza smacked her shoulder and Addison scowled at her. "But before you do, please think about this. Innocent people are dying and I can't sit by and watch it happen."

She glanced at Zed as she said, "Taking down Mighty Shrimp won't bring them back, but I'll be damn sure I make their deaths worth it."

Zed gave a small smile, his arms tightening around her as he leaned forward and kissed her temple.

"_Well geez how am I not supposed to side with you! Of course I'm in!_ _God I feel like I'm in a superhero movie or something!_"

"The way my weekend's been, it's more like a lame fanfiction," Addison grumbled. Zed covered his mouth to keep from laughing too loud.

"_What'd you say?_" Bree asked.

"Nothing," Addison said. "Stay by your phone. You'll get information on where to meet me soon, I just need a minute to get it together. And don't let anyone else know what's going on."

"_Got it. Stay safe._"

The line cut out and Addison sighed. "I'm guessing you guys know this area well," she said. "How do we get Bree here?"

"I'll check what's in the shield, give me a minute," Eliza said.

Addison nodded, then melted into Zed, closing her eyes. His warm embrace was comforting and she ignored all the stress that was being put on her. She didn't even know if they could pull off taking down the Mighty Shrimp, but they had to try. She wasn't going to spend the rest of her life hiding because of her own family.

Zed tilted his head down, his breath tickling her ear and making her shiver. "Is everything okay?" Zed mumbled.

Addison nodded. "Just stressed."

"Wanna talk? Eliza could use the minute alone to concentrate."

Just as the last words left his mouth, Eliza suggested, "Panera about two blocks away. I'll send your friend the address, you guys go on your way. And bring back food."

Addison smiled and got up, turned and waiting for Zed to get up too. "You gonna give me money E?" Zed asked with a teasing smile.

"Hush. Get out of my face."

Zed shook his head and went over to Bonzo, picking up his cleaned and reloaded weapons. He tossed a gun to Addison, which she let fall to the floor before picking it up. "Why'd you do that?" Zed asked.

"I wasn't gonna catch it."

"But you didn't even try."

"It was too short." Addison shrugged. "Let's go."

* * *

Both Eliza and Addison had figured that Addison had been discovered by being spotted, so Zed and Addison stopped at a boutique just down the road from the warehouse to get some disguises to avoid being discovered again. Addison had to stay in the car, and Zed went and bought disguises, which ended up being a change of clothes and sunglasses.

Addison went through the bag and frowned. "How did you know my size?" she asked.

"Well one you're incredibly small." Addison rolled her eyes and he gave her an innocent smile. "And two, I've seen your bank statements and all your shopping and it shows your size selections."

"You went through my bank statements?"

"How else was I supposed to find you? And know you love Panera Bread?"

Addison pouted. She wanted to be upset with him, but she would've done the same thing if Bucky couldn't access cameras and tell her Zed's exact location (at any given moment).

"Where am I supposed to change?" she asked. "What if I get spotted leaving the car?"

"That's why I've got a backseat."

"And other reasons, obviously," Addison added, giving him a suggestive smile.

Zed laughed and shook his head. "I'm gonna assume you want some assistance figuring out how the outfit works?"

"Only if you're offering," Addison laughed. If only they weren't crunched for time. Every second they spent out in the open was another second that were vulnerable to ground spies. Addison leaned toward him and gave him a soft, slow kiss. His hands cradled her jaw and she brought her hands up to tangle in his soft green locks. It was slow but passionate, emotions pouring through, like the last kiss Addison had given him the night before. God, it felt like they'd known each other for years, not just one weekend. There was no reason she should feel so strongly for him, but yet she did.

She pulled away from his lips, her eyes fluttering open, seeing him giving her a small and breathless smile. "I'll never get tired of that," he whispered.

"Better than sex?" Addison asked teasingly.

"I dunno, we've only mindblowingly kissed a couple of times, and had mindblowing sex once, I think I might need to collect more data before I reach a verdict."

Addison laughed and Zed leaned back against his door. "I think we've spent enough time doing nothing," she said. "Let me get changed."

She crawled between their seats and into the backseat, grabbing the disguise Zed had gotten her. It was just a white skirt and a yellow sweater, but it was so unlike her to wear anything so colorful that it was a perfect disguise. It didn't change the fact that she stuck out like a sore thumb.

"I look like the fucking sun," she complained.

Zed just laughed at her. "You'll be fine. No one will even think it's you!"

Addison slouched in her chair while Zed changed his shirt and pulled on a jean jacket. Addison glared at him; she had to change into a completely new outfit and all he did was put on a jacket?! That didn't seem fair at all!

But he also looked fine as hell in the jacket, which shouldn't be very possible, so she let it slide. They drove to Panera Bread and got out; Zed covered the majority of his hair with a beanie and they both put on their sunglasses. Addison picked up their order and they sat at a table in the corner while they waited for Bree to show up.

"You look really nice in yellow," Zed pointed out. "If you weren't wearing shades, I'd say it brightens your eyes. 'Cause it did. Like the sky."

Addison couldn't stop the smile coming over her face. He was such a sweet talker. He said kind words and always had such an adorable look on his face. She had said that she looked like the sun and he looked at her like she was. Or maybe a star, because it'd be pretty painful to look at the sun. The point was that he looked at her like she was the best person in the room, and it made her feel like less of a bad person.

"Can I say how hot you look with your jacket? I don't know if I prefer you with or without clothes anymore."

Zed laughed and shook his head. "That's a fair point, now that I've seen you in something with color I can't pick."

"What's wrong with my usual clothes?"

"They're bland and boring, that's what's wrong," he said, making her laugh. Then he added, "Though I do love _how_ you look in them," making her laugh even more.

"You know, you're the first straight guy I've come across who's given me pretty good fashion advice, I'm not gonna lie," she admitted, making him smile.

"Aw I'm flattered!"

Addison's laughter died out as she spotted her friend walk through the door. "She's here," Addison whispered, just loud enough for Zed to hear.

She stood up and grabbed their food. Zed followed her, not quite understanding what they were doing but trusting Addison enough to follow her. Bree was in the line that they walked past.

Addison looked at Zed and said, "Lights went dark, so we met in the seventh palace hotel, three east. Kay?"

Zed nodded, clearly understanding he needed to act like they were talking. They kept moving until they were outside, heading straight for the car. Once they were inside, Zed asked, "What did you even say?"

"It's code," she explained. "Me and Bree use the phrase of something going dark to get the other's attention. And then I gave her your plate number."

"You know my plate number?"

"Zed, I was assigned to kill you," she reminded him. "I know everything about you. Like you have a citrus intolerance. And a little sister, Zoey, who's in school in Illinois. And I know that you played football in high school until you graduated and decided to join your dad in Z.O.M.B.I.E.S., but you couldn't be a lawyer since you didn't go to school. And I know you—"

"Okay!" Zed interrupted, laughing and rubbing his neck. "I get it. The Mighty Shrimp do their research."

Addison chuckled and gave him a quick kiss. She looked in the rearview mirror and saw Bree walking up to the car. Addison rolled her window down a crack. "In here!"

She turned to Zed and said, "Start the car."

Bree yanked the door open and slid in as Zed stated the engine. Before she could even close the door completely, Zed was pulling out of the parking space.

* * *

Addison explained it as best as possible while they drove back to the warehouse. "The Mighty Shrimp have been assigning us hits on innocent people to keep their shitty practices under the radar. I refuse to be a pawn used in their coverup scheme, so we're going to take them down, just like they've been taking others down."

"Are you in?" Zed asked.

"Of course I'm in! There's no way Addy could take any big business down without me. We're a team."

Addison grinned at Bree, then Zed. She wouldn't be used as a toy anymore, she was going to take them down, one way or another. She knew they'd have to be careful though. They were going against the best of the best. Five of them against the entire Mighty Shrimp. No big deal.

"We're being followed."

Addison's head snapped in Zed's direction. His expression was hard as he looked in his rear view mirror. He pressed several buttons on the center console and the screen displayed the car behind them, and the stone-faced driver, Bucky.

"Oh shit," Addison muttered. She whipped around to Bree, a fire burning inside of her. She couldn't believe her best friend would sell her out to Bucky. That was so unlike Bree!

"Bree! You told Bucky?!"

Bree gasped, scandalized. "Of course not! Why would I ever—I would never—I have no idea how he found us!"

The car made a sharp right turn, earning several honks from angry drivers. "We'll deal with her later," Zed said. "Right now we need to get him off our tail. We can't lead him back to the warehouse."

"What can I do to help?" Addison asked.

"Nothing," Zed spat. He made a sharp left turn, running a red light and nearly hitting four cars. Bucky followed him and Zed cursed under his breath.

"How angry would you be if I killed your cousin?" he asked.

"_What!?_"

"It's either him or us, Addison. One life versus three? Does that math make sense?"

Addison stayed silent, unable to argue with him. Plus, Bucky was mostly likely forced out of retirement to kill her, and Zed. He would be the only person that could beat her, since she could never bring herself to hurt him when they were training. She wouldn't be able to take him out, her dad knew that.

The car spun in a u-turn and Addison hit her door at full force, the wind being knocked completely out of her. "Sorry," Zed muttered, not sounding remorseful at all.

"I need my gun," he muttered to himself, but Addison took it upon herself to grab it out of the glovebox.

He turned into an empty parking lot, speeding through the spaces until they were behind the abandoned building. It was probably a supermarket that got shut down at some point. Either way, Zed hit the brakes hard and, if Addison wasn't wearing her seatbelt, she would have busted her head against the dashboard. Zed jumped out of the car, gun drawn. He fired one shot that probably hit the windshield and stuck in there.

There was a scream and curse and when Addison (and Bree) looked, Zed was sprawled over the hood of Bucky's car. "Zed!"

Addison jumped out of the car, drawing her knives as she ran around, coming face to face with her cousin. His gun was pointed at Zed and, if Addison didn't call his name, he might have actually shot him.

"You know Addison, I'm only assigned to kill _you_," Bucky said darkly. "But I bet I'll get some bonus points for bringing in the Zombie."

Addison pressed her lips a firm line. Zed was groaning in pain—he had to have broken a couple of bones from the hit—and Bucky had his gun trained on him. One wrong move and they'd both be dead.

In her peripheral vision, she spotted Zed's gun laying on the floor. There were two more in the car too. She should have grabbed one when she got out, but she had nowhere to conceal it. She was wearing a skirt, which was a terrible idea in itself.

"Bucky," Addison said slowly. "Let's talk about this."

"You look lovely in yellow. Nice and easy to spot." Bucky said. "A nice outfit to be found dead in, I believe. I wouldn't know, and you won't live to let me know."

A gun went off, followed by a scream.


	11. Chapter 11

_A gun went off, followed by a scream._

Zed's eyes shot open and immediately began searching for Addison. She was standing just mere feet away with a look of shock on her face. He followed her eyes to see, and hear, Bucky writhing in pain on the ground holding his bloodied arm. He looked back and realized Addison wasn't holding a gun, only her knives.

The sound of a pistol clattering to the ground drew both their attention. Bree looked perpetually horrified sitting half stepped out of the backseat after shooting Bucky. Zed chuckled and groaned as he turned onto his side, getting a better angle to try and stand. Addison noticed his struggle and hurried to his side for assistance.

"Well, at least we know she didn't snitch." Zed joked, his voice still pained as he slowly stood with Addison under his arm. Addison laughed.

"I don't see what's so funny here!" Bucky exclaimed from the ground, holding his wounded right arm. His addition making his cousin laugh that much harder.

"Obviously it's a flesh wound! You'll be alright!" She teased, kicking his gun out of reach before helping Zed over to the car to sit down. He plopped down in the driver's seat with a huff. He was 90% sure he had at least one fractured rib, but it didn't feel like there was any other damage he needed medical attention for.

Once she was sure Zed was safe and secure, Addison grabbed the gun Bree dropped and marched back over to where Bucky was still lying on the ground, standing over him with the business end of the weapon pointed at his head.

"Talk." She commanded flatly. Bucky scoffed and pushed the pistol out of his face with the back of his bloodied hand.

"Relax. I wasn't gonna actually kill any of you." He grumbled. Addison gaped at him in disbelief and grabbed his shirt to yank him up into a seated position.

"Are you fucking kidding me?! Then why the hell'd you run over my boyfriend?!" She screamed in his face. Bucky didn't seem fazed by her angry outburst, instead he raised a brow at her.

"Your boyfriend huh?" He mused. Addison blinked, looking back at Zed who was smirking.

"I'm cool with whatever you wanna call me baby." He teased, making her cheeks dust pink but she had on her firm pout as she turned back to her cousin.

"Yes. My boyfriend. Now why'd you run him over?!" She demanded. Bucky grinned and looked over at the green haired zombie in question.

"I just don't like him. Thought it'd be fun."

Addison shoved him because of his response, earning a laugh from the black haired assassin. She walked over to Zed and sat on his lap, gently petting his hair comfortingly while he leaned into her shoulder.

"I don't get it though. Why'd you act like you were, if you weren't _actually_ going to kill us?" Bree questioned. Bucky ripped the bottom of his shirt and started tying the cloth around his bicep where the bullet grazed him.

"You know as well as I do, they have eyes and ears watching every move I make. I had to try making it look like I completed the hits so you could run. But that's out the fucking window." He grumbled.

"Oh my god! He's right! We need to move! We're all sitting ducks here!" Bree panicked. Addison didn't move from Zed's lap and he didn't make a move either.

"Aren't we inside Eliza's force field?" She asked. Zed nodded against her shoulder.

"'Electro-magnetic field', but yes." He corrected. Addison rolled her eyes fondly from his comment, knowing Eliza's probably corrected him the same way about a million times from how he said it.

"So that means we're safe. No cameras or microphones will work here." Addison told them. Bucky pulled an impressed face.

"Huh, you come up with that on your own Green Bean?" He affronted. Zed snorted at the nickname.

"You should watch who you're talking to Shrimp." Zed threatened. Bucky stood up and grabbed his gun Addison kicked a foot away, wincing slightly from putting a little pressure on his arm.

"What'd you call me?!" Bucky hissed. Zed grinned, lightly nudging for Addison to get up as he stood himself, towering a whole head taller than him.

"You heard me, Shrimp." He repeated, popping the P.

"Why you little-"

Addison knew this would _not _end well if she didn't do something to defuse the situation soon.

"Guys!" She jumped between them and pushed them apart by the chests, Zed deflated almost instantly from the pain. "Sorry." She briefly apologized. "This is no time to fight amongst ourselves! Mighty Shrimp Corp has to be stopped and we're the only ones who could possibly do it!"

Zed's face softened with her pleading expression. He looked up at Bucky then extended his hand around Addison towards him. "Truce." He offered. Bucky rolled his eyes and shook Zed's hand.

"Fine." He agreed. "But that doesn't mean I like you." Zed laughed and Addison sighed in relief then her smile turned mischievous.

"Now if you boys are done measuring your dicks, we have lunch to deliver!" She cheered, skipping back to her side of the car. Bucky rolled his eyes, walking over to his own driver's door.

"I'll follow you. Keep me in the field, they shouldn't be able to trace my car inside it." Bucky yelled over to Zed.

"Miles ahead of you." He retorted, getting in his Camaro and revving the engine to life and leading Bucky back to the warehouse so they could plan their attack.

"You're chest hurts?" Addison asked softly as they drove, running her fingers over his knuckles rested on her thigh.

"It's just a fractured rib. I'll live." He assured her quietly, not wanting to talk about weakness when Bree is right there in the backseat. It's like she can read his mind because she leans over and rests her head on his shoulder.

"You can trust her Z." She whispered almost silently in his ear. He knew she was right. If she's really Addison's best friend, she'd never betray her. Like Eliza and Bonzo would never betray him. This career path created bonds that could never be broken. You had to trust your teammates with your life.

Zed looked over and smiled softly at her.

"So Bree," Zed started, drawing the girl in the back's attention, "you've always been Addison's hit partner?"

"I guess you could say that! We were in the same training class until we were split into the assassin and intel support divisions." She explained.

"Then I hand picked her to be my spotter!" Addison chimed.

Both girls giggled like excited schoolgirls. Zed smiled. He loved when Addison was relaxed and happy. He wanted her to always feel like that.

"So what's Bucky's story?" Zed asked, half out of curiosity, half to pry for info.

"He's my cousin. He's been through everything for the company. Given up everything." Addison's mood dropping sadly. "I've always felt bad that he couldn't be himself because of who we were, the family we were born into. But we've always been closer than anyone else in the family." She seemed to perk. "Bucky's like a big brother to me. We tell each other everything."

"And you trust him? I mean, now?" It was a genuine question. And Addison knew it.

Zed is trusting her judgement, he doesn't know Bucky from Adam. Or Bree from Eve. But he's willing to trust them if she does. They are her family, possibly the only ones she has left anymore.

"Without question." She stated firmly. "If he was blindly following orders, we would all be dead." Zed nodded, not taking his eyes off the road. Maybe in thought? She didn't have much time to dwell however as they turn into the parking lot.

He puts the car in park and Bree gets out of the back, but Zed grabs Addison's wrist before she can get out. She turned back in worry which quickly vanishes when his lips brush hers for a soft affectionate kiss, his fingers combing through her blonde hair. Until he pulled back just enough to press their foreheads together, still holding her jaw in his palm.

"You can't be mad at me if Eliza kills your cousin." He whispers. Addison instantly bursts out in laughter and Zed's right there with her.

"You're the best at breaking the tension." She muses.

"That's my job." He agrees. "Let's go before he gets impatient." Addison giggles as they get out.

"Keep your tongue in your own mouth, Necrodopolus." Bucky warned as soon as they shut their respective doors.

"Aw! But I thought you wanted a little smooch!" Zed teased, puckering his lips at him. Bucky's face scrunched in disgust.

"From you? Never." He countered.

"Ouch!" Zed feigned hurt feelings. Addison elbowed his side lightly and he nearly toppled over with the breath knocked out of him.

"Sorry!" Addison apologized quickly. He tried to wave it off and act like it didn't hurt but the way he couldn't breathe or the utterly excruciating look on his face said otherwise.

"Best non-lethal hit of my career." Bucky commented, earning a glare from his favorite cousin. "Sorry, not sorry." Addison rolled her eyes, assisting Zed inside instead of arguing as Bree and Bucky followed.

"I really think you should have that looked at." Addison told him worriedly.

"Ribs just have to do their thing on their own. There's not much a doctor could do." He said. "Even if I wanted to."

"But maybe pain meds? You can't fight like this." She argued.

"I can get some pain meds from my dad. And yes I can. Just have to keep it a distance fight." He countered.

Their argument ended with that. It's not like he was wrong after all. Keep it a fire fight. No close combat. At least not for him.

"E! B! We've got guests!" Zed's voice echoed around the warehouse walls. "Tidy up so they're impressed!" He joked, making his friends laugh. They turned the corner and Eliza was perched on top of one of the boxes, typing away at her computer, while Bonzo was propped against a crate, cleaning their weapons.

"You brought food right?" Eliza asked, not even looking up from her computer.

"As if I'd let him forget." Addison teased. Bonzo looked up first, and froze. Zed assumes it was because of the additional presence so he quickly explained.

"Addison's cousin is going to help us. He may be a dick who hit me with his car, but…" he shrugged. Addison giggled against his side.

"Watch it." Bucky warned behind them.

Just the mention of the assassin put Eliza's senses on alert and she jumped off her box. Bonzo also scrambled to his feet.

"You brought him here?!" Eliza questioned.

"Where else would they take me?" Bucky countered with an attitude. Eliza's eyes narrowed. "I can be the eyes on the inside. Especially since Bree here shot me in the arm," he grumbled. "they'll believe that I attempted the hits and fled after being injured."

"Bree." Bonzo spoke her name with a sigh, his eyes soft and trained on said girl.

Zed stiffened at Addison's side and she noticed Eliza's stunned state as well. Her brows furrowed in confusion and concern. "What's wrong?"

"Bonzo spoke." Zed said barely over a whisper. Addison thought for a moment.

"Hm, I guess I never have heard him speak, huh?" She pondered. Zed just slowly shook his head in response, his wide eyes not leaving his green haired friend.

Addison leaned over towards her best friend. "I think he's smitten with you Bree." She whispered. Bree got completely flustered, blushing and wide eyed, trying to hide her face with her hands and hair.

"M-me?! Oh no no! There's no way _he_ would like _me_." She denied disappointedly. The next instant, Bonzo was in front of her, gently brushing her bangs from her face.

"Bree, you're beautiful." He assures her in awe. Bree smiled up at him breathlessly.

"Thanks," was all she could manage.

"Bonzo, I don't get it. You haven't talked in years!" Zed finally got composed enough to question. Bonzo sighed sadly and turned to his old friend.

"I can't keep hiding it from you, Z. You're gonna wanna sit for this." He insisted.

Addison helped Zed sit on the floor with his back propped on a crate, his face twisting in pain from the bending. Bonzo sits across from him, also leaned against a crate, with Bree sitting beside him shyly. Bucky just stood beside Addison as he leaned against the same wooden box, Eliza returning to her perch on top of a box, keeping her eyes glued to Bucky untrusting of his motives.

Once everyone was settled, Bonzo spoke up. "My vow of silence wasn't actually for my last victim. I never completed that hit." He glanced at Addison briefly, then back to Zed, the same sad expression of anguish making Zed's stomach turn with anxiety. "It was for the victim I was too late to save." Both Zed and Addison's eyes widen, but Bonzo continued.

"I remember it like it was yesterday. I located my target heading into the hospital. I assumed she had a family member there. So I posted on the neighboring rooftop." He set a perfect scene. Addison's heart rate picked up. She remembered too. "I used my scope to search the rooms. But by the time I spotted her," he paused, choking on his words as the memory fully surfaced, "it was too late. Your mom was gone."

Zed's world started to crumble again. The walls came crashing in. His lungs were burning. Was he even breathing? Bonzo witnessed Addison murdering his mother. His eyes pricked with tears.

"I, I tried to, complete my mission." He continued hesitantly. "I fired two shots. Missing both." He glanced at the wide eyed Addison again. "Obviously." Then back at his self destructing friend. "Then she was gone too." Bonzo sighed. "When you told us you were assigned to her as a hit, I couldn't tell you what happened. She was dangerous and I knew you'd run after her in a fit of rage. I didn't know what else to do!"

Zed looked up at him. Broken. Confused. Addison finally snapped out of her own shock enough to realize how much Zed needed her right now.

She cautiously slid her hand up his neck to sift her fingers through his emerald green hair as a comforting gesture. He didn't move away but also didn't move closer either. Was he upset with her again? She slowly retracted her hand, unsure if he even wanted her near him in this moment of grieving, but he grabbed her other wrist resting on his leg.

"Don't go." He said so softly she almost missed it. She scooted closer, with the reassurance he wanted her there, and leaned into his side to show she wasn't going anywhere.

"It was supposed to be me." Bucky finally spoke up with a sigh. Everyone looked up at him in confusion. "They assigned the hit of Zora Necrodopolus to me. It was a high profile hit. And a perfect way to prove Addison was worthy of being a Mighty Shrimp assassin. I give it to her. Her first hit. Otherwise, the family would have never let her become one." Bucky explained, looking the slightest bit guilty, which was odd.

Addison softened, her cousin never showed emotions about hits. Ever. But here he was. Taking responsibility for her hit and feeling guilty about it.

"Y-you know what I think?" Bree spoke softly. The room turned towards her. She looks up, at each of them individually for a moment, a look of hope in her eyes, before she continued. "I think it was fate." Eliza scoffed first. "Ok but hear me out!" Bree said before she could be interrupted. "Your mother was sick, right?" She asked Zed. He nodded solemnly and leaned more heavily against Addison for support, she gladly hugged around his shoulders to comfort him.

"So she must have been suffering. I know that's not an excuse for what happened, but she _is _in a better place now." Zed smiled sadly and nodded his agreement. "And if Bucky had been the one to take the assignment, Bonzo would have never been a witness to know the truth. But had Bonzo been able to take out Addison, well," She shuddered at the thought of not having her best friend, "we wouldn't be sitting here right now trying to work together to make things right."

The room was silent.

It had sounded like her words lost their certainty towards the end, but Addison knew she was just uncertain if she was the only one that felt that way. Addison smiled.

"She's absolutely right." She spoke up. "This was fate. Everything leading up to this moment was done to bring us all together. Otherwise, who knows where we'd be. _Who _we'd be!" She corrected. "The past is the past and we are here now. Together we can take down Might Shrimp and fix the mistakes of the past." Everyone's eyes shone with determination and voiced their agreements.

"Ok. So now that everyone's gotten their beef off their chests, what's the plan?" Eliza asked.

"Our grandfather is the main target. He's the patriarch of the family. If he's gone, technically Addison would instantly become the new owner of the company." Bucky stated. Addison snorted.

"I've probably already been disowned. I won't receive the company after what happened." She retorted.

"Changing his will would be the last thing on Pops' mind. And getting his lawyer to write it up? Please. Pops hates that douche." He countered. Addison laughed.

"Yeah 'but he's one hell of a lawyer!'" She joked with her best old man impression. Both cousins laughed while everyone else was left out of the inside joke. Bucky cleared his throat to recompose.

"Anyway, my point is, unless they made it a huge deal to him, I doubt any changes to the will have been made. If we work quickly, we might get to him first." He explained.

"That's all fine and good, but how do we get close enough? Any zombies who've tried to get in to the CEO in the past were taken out at the door." Zed argued. Bucky raised a brow at the zombie making Zed roll his eyes. "Figuratively speaking, but you get my point."

"The Gala!" Bree exclaimed a bit too excitedly.

"The Gala!" Addison then exclaimed with her.

"The Gala?" Zed asked curiously.

"Yes! The Gala!" Addison confirmed with a bright expression.

"I'm sorry. Can someone explain what the fuck they're so excited about?" Eliza demanded. "We're planning a hit, not a date to play dress up."

"That's actually not a bad idea." Bucky mused, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

"Ugh! Not you too!" Eliza groaned. "Another pampered princess!" Bucky glared at her.

"No, the annual Masquerade Gala is the perfect opportunity to get close enough. You all wear disguises and blend into the crowd until we can get him alone." He spelled out, then rubbing his temple in aggravation. "I'm surrounded by idiots." He grumbled.

"That's my line!" Eliza complained teasingly.

"You're a genius Bree!" Bonzo gushed, wrapping his arms around her for a big hug, making said girl blush furiously.

"I-it was nothing!" She stuttered. Bucky rolled his eyes.

"Ok ok, everyone relax. We're not nearly out of the woods yet." He warned. "Get serious or we're dog food." The two couples sitting on the floor straighten up, like the good soldiers they were, while Eliza raised a brow challengingly.

"And who put you in charge? How do we even know we can trust you won't just run back and rat us out?" He didn't technically have an argument for her. She had every right to be skeptical of his intentions. They were sworn enemies less than an hour ago after all.

"Addison's the only person I've ever cared about. She's been supportive of me no matter what. Not even my parents cared that much about my wellbeing. I don't care what the company has to say, I would never hurt Addison." He said firmly. No question. Complete conviction. He was obviously loyal to his cousin. No one else.

Zed decided he should step in. "Not that I've known him very long, or particularly liked him," he added standing up with a wince, "but I'm 99% sure we can trust him. The 1%'s for hitting me with your car."

"Sorry not sorry." Bucky replied smugly. Eliza burst out laughing, making Zed scowl at her.

"You hit him with your car rather than killing him? That's classic!" She laughed. "Ok, you're cool. I'll trust you. For now." She said pointedly. Bucky smiled in relief.

"Now that that's settled, let's finish planning over lunch!" Addison chirped happily.

Zed chuckled and kissed the top of her head. He was still hurting from all this new information flooding his brain the past few hours, but Addison made it so easy to think positively. She was such a ball of sunshine in his most gloomy moments.

They all grabbed their designated orders from the bag, Zed offering his to Bucky, since he wasn't really hungry anymore, and they started forming their plan of attack. Addison insisted on feeding Zed bites off her sandwich and salad, not liking that he was refusing to eat. Eliza noticed their quiet bickering and that Zed lost the argument, smiling to herself that Addison was so good for him.

* * *

"_Zed! Hey Son! I'm so glad to hear from you!_" Zevon greeted through the phone.

"Hey Dad." Zed greeted softly, he was seated on the front steps of his childhood home that now acted as a safehouse, but also not wanting Addison to hear his whole conversation with his dad.

"_Is something wrong?_" Concern clear in his voice.

"I'm fine. I kinda got hit by a car. I'm ok, just sore." Zed explained.

"_A car?! You need to get checked for broken bones. Get your butt to the hospital right now!_" His dad ordered sternly. Zed laughed quietly. "_And why are you trying to stay quiet? What the hell is going on?!_"

"Dad, calm down. I might have a fractured rib but it's not that bad." He tried to ease his worries. "Listen, there's been some, complications. I won't be completing that hit you assigned me."

"_Yeah, I kinda figured that out on my own, but,_" his dad paused obviously nervous, "_are you sure you can trust this girl? Uh, maybe you should see the rest of the file we have on her._"

"I already know Dad. She told me. She, she regrets it. Regrets all of it." He paused, running his fingers through his hair. "We're staying at Z-224a with her friend Bree."

"_You're at the old house? Are you in trouble? Do you need security to come out?_" His voice was growing more and more panicked.

"We're fine. We'll be under lockdown when I get off the phone with you." Zevon seemed unsure with the short silence it took for him to decide.

"_I trust you Son. I'll send some pain killers and leave them in the mailbox for you._"

"Thanks Dad. Keep security tight on your end, Pops. I'll try to call you soon." He bit his lip, unsure if this would be the last time he'd talk to his father. "I love you Dad."

Zevon knew _something _was up. He knows his son and he was acting funny. But what could he do? "_I love you too. Be safe, Zed._"

Zed hung up the phone and sighed, shoving it back in his pocket. He stared blankly down the street, lost in thought, until Addison came over and sat beside him.

"Hey." She greeted.

"Hey." It came out melancholic.

"That good huh?" She tried to make light of his mood. He nodded, still chewing the inside of his cheek. She frowned, her brows knitting together in worry. "Everything ok?"

"Yeah. I just talked to my dad." He said. Addison sombered.

"He knows about what I did, doesn't he." It was more of a statement, not really a question. She knew he knew. Zed nodded silently. "I'm sorry Zed. I don't want to come between you and your family. I-I understand if you can't see me anymore."

She was prepared for the goodbye. For him to choose his family over her. It would be what was best for him. She'd allow herself to break if it meant he stayed happy. Her mental spiral screeched to a halt when his arm pulled her into his side and his lips kissed her temple.

"You're not getting rid of me that easy." He chuckled. She looked up at him in concern.

"But your family-" she started.

"Pfft! My dad's a big softy. He'll forgive you. I already have." He assured her with a smile. "He's gonna love you." Addison shook her head with a laugh of disbelief.

"I think you give me too much credit." She teased. Zed chuckled and stood up slowly, still favoring his side.

"Let's get some rest. We have a lot of work to do tomorrow." He took her hand and helped her up as well before they headed inside.

Bree was flipping through a magazine on the living room couch when they entered. Zed shut the door then turned to the pin pad. With a couple punches, metal plates began to slide over all the windows and doors.

"Whoa. Top notch security, I'm impressed!" Addison teased. "You grew up in this house?" She asked, walking up to inspect the barrier covering the door. Zed laughed.

"Yeah, but the security system was installed after we moved out." He said. "Bree, you can use either my parents' or sister's old rooms. The door on the right down this hall has a bigger bed." He informed. She lit up that she was getting the bigger bed and took off down the hall.

"Thanks guys! See you in the morning!" She exclaimed happily before disappearing. Addison rolled her eyes and Zed took her hand.

"My room's upstairs." He said, already starting to lead the way. "The bed won't be _as _big, but that just means we get to cuddle a little more." He teased, making her giggle.


	12. Chapter 12

They had five days to prepare. Bucky stayed in an undercover sort of position, feeding information to Eliza through what they all hoped was a secure network. Bonzo polished up their weapons for them. Everyday, they spent several hours going through the plan, fixing errors based off of new information Bucky would provide them and making sure they had multiple contingency plans.

Bucky has warned them that the longer they waited, the greater the risk. He had managed to milk his 'injury' and get out of his assignment to kill Addison (and Zed, and now Bree). But someone else had the hit and every one of them was in danger, especially since Bucky didn't have access to that information anymore.

They spent double the planning time, training. Whenever there was down time, Addison would make her way to the house basement and freshen up. She showed the Zombies the typical fighting style of a Mighty Shrimp, let them practice against her in order to learn the best ways to take them down. Of course, she was nothing in comparison to the assassins who were twice her size, length and width wise. She was afraid that they would get used to beating her, even though she was holding back (just a little) when they fought.

Oh, but she could tell that Zed knew she was holding back. She didn't know how he knew, but she knew that he knew.

Once Thursday hit, they went into crunch time. They ate while going through the blueprints, the building regulations, and the staff list. When they were letting their food settle, Bonzo taught them about some of the new weapons and attacks, Eliza would show them the basics for taking out the digital security team (for their worst case scenario plans), and Addison and Bree would _again_ give a run down of every person on the guest list.

And of course, Thursday was the day that Zed cornered her in the hallway.

"Why aren't you fighting me?"

Addison furrowed her brows in confusion. "What?"

"You," he pointed an accusing finger in her chest, "are going easy on me. On us. All of us."

"No I'm—"

"Addy, I'm not stupid," he stated. "You've won one fight, against Eliza, on the first day. You're holding back. What good is that to us? How are we supposed to get better if you don't even give us your all?"

Addison pressed her lips into a firm line. She didn't want to fight him, to hurt him. He was still healing from being hit by Bucky's car, he didn't need to worry about her.

"I think...that you're good. I know you can win, so I'm just helping you polish your technique." Lies.

Zed frowned, catching her lie too. "Do you think I can't handle you? If I can't beat you how am I supposed to beat them!?"

Addison huffed in frustration. How could he not see what she saw? Why was he being so thick headed? "But you can, and you have!" she explained, irritated.

Zed raised an eyebrow. "You think those guys are gonna hold back the way you do? You think they'll stop and give me a chance to catch my breath?"

Addison was quiet and Zed rolled his eyes. "Exactly."

"I won't fight to kill you," she said, firm but quiet.

"Addison, I don't want to die out there," he said. "You're the best assassin they had, right?" Addison nodded. "If we can beat you—when you're not holding back, when you're actually trying to kill us—then we wouldn't have to worry."

"But—" Addison argued weakly, already knowing she would give in sooner rather than later and beat the snot out of him. "But you're hurt."

"I'm gonna be hurt at the gala too, and I won't just sit and watch you handle everything." Zed stated. He sighed, sounding and looking a little defeated. "I couldn't live with myself if you died." 

The words were coming out before she could stop them, but they were harsh. "If I train you with even a fraction of the intensity that I was trained, _you'll_ die."

Zed flinched, then his expression hardened. Addison's eyes went wide in surprise. She had been fighting so hard to keep her cool, keep herself from saying _that_ and now Zed was going to be even more mad at her.

"Prove it," he stated, his voice filled with nothing but anger and determination. "Sounds to me like you're afraid to find out which one of us is truly the best."

Addison's nostrils flared, annoyed and angry. She didn't care much to find out which one of them was the best, but she hated when he purposely questioned her abilities. She knew what was best, and how to keep him from getting killed. He couldn't even trust her and her training and—

"I mean, I guess you're good, for a girl."

Addison growled, _actually_ growled, pulling her arm back and punching him in the stomach. He wheezed, folding over on impact.

"Don't be such a baby, it couldn't have hurt too bad since I'm only a _girl_," she spat. She squeezed past him, walking toward basement. "Meet me in the training room in five minutes."

* * *

Addison finished taping her knuckles with a grunt. Any other day, she would have taken time to cool down and keep a level head. She knew Zed was trying to get under her skin, but she was also aware of the fact that he wouldn't quit until he fought her—truly fought her. They were going to fight with the intent to kill, and Addison had to push aside any and all feelings for him. Act like the week hadn't happened, and she was fighting a target. If necessary, she would fight until he was on the verge of death.

'_No. Teach him a lesson, don't kill him. You all need to be ready to fight for the gala._'

They were alone in the training room, which was how Addison wanted to keep it. She didn't need anyone else doubting their fight capacity.

She met Zed in the middle of the mat. She extended a hand to him, which he grabbed and shook once. Addison kept her grip on his hand while she explained the conditions. "No weapons. If you can't beat me without your gun, you'll be useless. We fight with the intent to kill, but keep in mind that we both need to be able to fight in a few days."

Zed's eyes were hard and determined as he gave her a curt nod. They dropped hands and back away. Addison took a minute to flex her muscles, crack her fingers and toes. Her braided hair laid against her shoulder; she moved into her guard position, knees bent, arms protecting her face, eyes on Zed. His eyes scanned over her, calculating, deciding. They circled the mat, inching closer and closer.

He took the first swing and they were away.

Addison had forgotten just how quick her reaction time could be against the right opponent. She had only been fighting as a means of training them before, but she needed every second and strategic manoeuvring she had studied against Zed. He was relentless, his combos executed to near perfection with the force behind those hits probably able to knock over a building, but Addison had been taught to deflect the force directed at her, to the point of redirecting that force back on him. She had to take a couple of hits just to achieve this though.

The situation changed briefly, Addison forcing Zed to re-strategize his mode of style, receiving a few stray hits that stung in the right sensitive spots of his ribs and above the kidneys. He grimaced but didn't back away for long, changing it up to make Addison guess his next move or be struck by an open palm to the nose.

Back step, duck, one two combo, sidestep, sidestep, dodge left, jab right, jab right, duck, haymaker to low spin kick, roll away, rise with uppercut... Addison's mind was on fire as she ducked and spun under another of Zed's attacks. The adrenaline raced through her body, her muscles stinging as sweat coated her skin but time was ticking and she needed to end this now.

Unfortunately, Zed was thinking the same thing.

Both Addison and Zed groaned with the hits they collected and grunted with the effort of their forceful strikes. They were everywhere on the mat, diving to the ground, scrambling to their feet, leaping in the air to avoid spin kicks or lash out with their own feet.

Addison leapt forward, planning on wrestling him into a tap out but as she gripped his arms, he did the same, their legs tying together so they ended up in an odd, twisted puzzle, each of them trying to pull the other into an uncomfortable position to forfeit the match.

They were locked in a stalemate, each unrelenting, refusing to let the other win and get the upper hand. She tried to roll him under her to break his grip. He groaned but held on, pulling her back so he was on top, wrapping his legs around one of hers. She knew she needed a different approach, get him distracted to get the upper hand. He was bigger and stronger than her, she needed to be smarter than him.

Addison grunted, tilting her head back so her nose brushed against his. His eyes snapped to hers, then to her lips, and she bit back a smirk, knowing he had slipped up. She played along, letting him lower his head down until his lips were brushing hers, his grip loosening up. Then wrenched her leg from its tangle, hooking it around his waist and flipping them over.

Zed hit the mat with a curse, the wind being knocked out of him. Addison landed a punch across his face, then another, and another, before he threw her off of him. Addison rolled and sprung to her feet, landing a hard kick to his side when he tried to get up. His hand grabbed her leg, to stop her or for support, she wasn't sure. She twisted her leg out of his grip, grabbing his hand with hers and twisting his arm around until he was screaming. If she wanted to, she could break it like a twig. She wouldn't, making sure she twisted with enough force to hurt and nearly dislocated his shoulder.

He twisted onto his side and Addison crouched down so she could whisper in his ear. "If I were trying to kill you, I'd break your arm, and while you wither in pain I'd snap your neck."

She then dropped his arm and stepped over him, wiping the blood off her face as she left the training room. She left him there, curled into himself on the mat in pain, not looking back, afraid that the sight of him would break her heart more than hurting him had.

* * *

Addison hid in Bree's room after that. She was bloody and bruised and terrified of what Zed would look like—or what seeing Zed would do to her. She knew it had to be done. But hated having to do it.

Friday after breakfast, Zed found himself quietly asking Bree to help him with an ice bath. He didn't want Addison to worry about him, which was exactly why Bree immediately told her best friend. Addison went up to the "medical ward," which Addison learned was an old office filled with remedies for injuries and a tub for baths, specifically the ice baths.

Zed was submerged up to his neck, eyes closed and soft music playing in the room. He probably didn't even know she was there. She stripped, folding her clothes on the chair where Zed's were, and made her way to the tub. She poked the top of his head and he flinched, opening his eyes to look at her. He gave her a pained smile. "I haven't seen you in a while," he commented.

Addison nodded, rubbing her arm nervously. His nose was swollen and he had an ugly cut running across his cheek. His right eye was nearly swollen shut and the left was bruised with blood all in it. It hurt to look at him and guilt coursed through her. She steeled herself though, asking him, "Mind if I join you?"

"Never."

Addison took a deep breath, then slipped into the freezing water until she was sitting in Zed's lap. He winced and Addison cringed. "Sorry," she apologized. "For-for everything."

"Why are you sorry? I'm the one who asked you to fight me. You fought to kill. And you won." Zed shrugged, an obviously painful movement. "At least I know that we're gonna get our asses kicked in two days."

Addison frowned. She moved so she was straddling him, gently gripping his chin with her fingers. "Zed, me and the other assassins are not the same," she told him. "Those guys didn't start training until they were like fifteen."

"And when did you start training?"

"Since I could walk," she said. "I told you. I've been learning defensive skills since I was two, offensive skills since I was seven, and I've been learning to kill since I was eight."

Zed eyes widened in horror. Addison shrugged and said, "Me and Bucky were trained to be the best, and we are. You should feel lucky that we're on your side."

Zed let out a short laugh, immediately followed by a grimace. He shifted in the ice and Addison lifted up a little. "Maybe I shouldn't be sitting on you," she muttered, shifting to get out.

"No," he protested. "I missed you last night. I really coulda used some cuddles from my kickass girlfriend, after she kicked my ass."

Addison giggled, wanting to kiss him but afraid of hurting him. "Do you think you'll be able to fight on Sunday?" Addison asked.

"Yeah I'm just a little sore. I'll be fine for another training session later today."

"_What?!_ No! _Hell_ no! No way are you going out there today, Zed."

"I can't get rusty."

"You can't even see out of your eyes," she argued. "Your nose is broken and I bet I made your ribs worse than they were!"

Zed was quiet and Addison deflated. It hurt inside to know she had done this to him, but she couldn't imagine how much pain he was in. His hand lifted out of the ice, his icy fingers grabbing hold of her jaw to focus her attention on him.

"Addy," he said softly. "I asked you to do this. I don't want you to feel guilty the whole time. I needed to know what I'm truly up against."

Addison nodded, and he smiled, using his hold on her chin to nudge her toward him. Addison gave him a soft, feather-light kiss, pulled away and smiled. "I love you," she told him. "And, if you want to train today, then you will. But only with your gun."

Zed furrowed his eyebrows, not understanding what she meant. "I've trained with my gun for years," he pointed out.

"Have you trained blindfolded, trying to hit a moving target, relying on nothing but your hearing?"

"Not with the gun. But I can hit a moving target. Don't forget I'm the best."

Addison hummed. "You're the best at a lot of things," she said cheekily. "This'll just...sharpen your senses. I doubt they'll stick to 'rules.'"

"Okay," he agreed. "We have paintball guns for gun training, so I don't have to worry about actually shooting you."

Addison blinked in surprise. "Paintball guns? That sounds insanely fun."

Zed chuckled. "Well they hurt like a bitch."

"So? Now I'm actually excited to get to training!"

Zed hummed a laugh, moving his arms around her waist to bring her down. "Not yet though," he mumbled. "I just wanna cuddle you. In the freezing ice bath."

Addison raised an eyebrow at him. "Just cuddle?" she asked, batting her eyelashes innocently.

Zed laughed, kissing her bruised nose. "I don't think I'm in any condition to do anything besides cuddling."

Addison gave him a playful pout. "Boo."

She let her hand stroke his hair as they got comfortable, letting the freezing water soothe their aching bodies. After several quiet minutes, Addison whispered, "Babe?"

"Hm?"

"Have you taken anything for the pain? Do you even have pills here?"

"My dad had someone drop off some pills a few days ago, I'm fine."

Addison nodded. "Okay." A beat passed, then she asked, "Are they just for pain or are they helping you heal too?"

"Yes Addy," he said, exasperated. "Quit nagging and just enjoy the cuddles."

"I worry because I love you."

Zed smiled and kissed her cheek. "I love you too."

* * *

Lunch was the first time any of the others saw her, since the fight the night before. Sure, they were all well aware that Zed was bloodied and beaten and he had refused to tell them exactly why, but their suspicions were confirmed when they saw Addison with similar bruises (though she wasn't as badly bruised as Zed). Bucky looked murderous, and Addison was frightened by the idea of him with silverware. But Bucky knew better than to attack him.

"Haven't seen you in a while," Eliza commented, eyeing Addison curiously but not mentioning the bruises. "Are we training today?"

"Yes," Addison stated. "First we're gonna do some target practice, then we're gonna do, a training exercise."

Eliza perked up immediately, her eyes shining with mischief. "With the paintball guns?"

Zed grinned wickedly causing Eliza to squeal. Addison looked between the two of them, concern and surprise written all over her face.

"Should I be worried?"

All the zombies gave her a look but said nothing, which was answer enough.


	13. Chapter 13

They started with shooting practice.

When the townhouse was renovated after Z.O.M.B.I.E.S. was founded, the place was made into a fortress. Zed's childhood home was transformed into safe house with onsite training facilities for any agents who needed sanctuary, which didn't happen often.

To accommodate for extra training space, a sub-basement had been added. Not only did it give opportunity for more space but sound proofing as well. This level was solely meant for the shooting range.

Bonzo set up the targets while Zed and Eliza showed off the impressive selection available to them. Addison giddily examines each piece.

"No, _fucking_, way! You have the Canadian Military 3-in-1 semi auto, shotgun, grenade launcher attachment combo?!" She beamed up at Zed, her eyes sparkling with excitement from the rare find. "I've always wanted to try one of these babies out! Can I? Please?" She begged with folded hands and pouted lip. Zed chuckled, smiling at her fondly.

"If you like it so much, it's yours Baby." He assured her, earning a gasp of sheer joy before she nearly tackled him with a hug around the neck.

Bucky was not amused.

"Don't get too excited. We're not wasting time on anything other than pistols." He commanded, picking up a handgun off the table and cocking the bolt handle to load a round into the chamber.

While Eliza and Zed exchanged a look of irritation, Addison sighed because (of course) her bossy cousin was right. Pistols would be the only guns they'd be able to conceal and sneak into the gala. Zed didn't miss the disappointment in her eyes as she grabbed her own weapon. He gently grabbed her arm to hold her back as he turned to Eliza.

"You guys go ahead and get started. We'll be right there." He said. Eliza rolled her eyes with a groan.

"You're leaving _me_ with the dictator. I see how it is." She complained but didn't necessarily argue as she grabbed a gun and made her way to the others.

"What is it Zed? Is something wrong?" She asks in concern. He took a step closer and gingerly pulled her in by the hip with an affectionate smile gracing his lips.

"You think I don't notice when my girlfriend's upset?" He teased. She smiled sadly and hugged around his torso for comfort.

"I just, I know this is time to get serious, but," she paused, the other's gunfire at the targets filling the void of her silence, "I was excited to have some fun with you." Her admission made him soften and squeeze her a little tighter.

"We'll have plenty of time to have fun once all this is over." He assured. She averted her gaze from his smiling face, resting her cheek to his chest.

"I hope you're right." She muttered to herself.

He kissed the top of her head before releasing his hold on her, grabbing his well loved Maxim 9. Addison grabbed one of the same model but looked much newer.

"Shouldn't you get a replacement for that thing?" She questioned. Zed let out a sarcastic laugh.

"No way! I've had this since my first hit. It's my favorite! This puppy has never let me down!" He said, kissing the side of the pistol for good measure. Addison made a choking noise as the laugh came out in coughs.

"You better knock on some wood or something before you jinx yourself!" She poked fun as they rejoined their friends. Zed just gave her a halfhearted pout as he knocked on the wooden table they had in front of them.

"Happy?"

"Very!" She laughed harder.

"Addison!" Bucky shouted, making her jump. "Stop goofing off and get to training!" Zed gritted his teeth and glared at the dark haired man.

"Relax Shrimpy! That's what we're getting ready to do!" He yelled back.

"Wha'd you say to me Green Boy?!" Bucky slammed his weapon on the table.

"I think you heard me just fine." Zed sneered. Bucky narrowed his eyes with a burning hatred and stormed across the small distance between them. Had Addison not stepped in to hold Zed back and Eliza and Bonzo stopping Bucky, the two would have probably killed each other.

"Hey! Hey! Both of you! Stop!" Addison exclaimed. Bucky snorted and turned his nose up in disgust. Zed was still seething but straightened up for her. "Tensions are high, right? But we are all on the same team! If we're fighting each other, it's gonna make the Mighty Shrimp's job that much easier!" She scolded, looking between them and seeing their shamed expressions, Zed's more than Bucky's. "Use this energy in training. We need all the practice we can get." She grumbled as she picked up her gun and aimed at the target across the basement.

Everyone returned to their spots and began shooting as well. Zed came up beside Addison with a timid demeanor, he hated when she got mad at him. When she finished her clip and had to reload, he leaned in slightly.

"I'm sorry Addy. I didn't mean to upset you." He told her just loud enough to hear over the other's gunshots. She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration.

"I'm not mad Zed. I'm just nervous about how all this is gonna play out. If we can't put our differences aside to work together, how are we ever gonna win this fight?" She looked up at him for answers. Answers they both knew he didn't have.

He looked away completely abashed. She closed her eyes and placed a hand over his on the table. They returned their eyes to one another's as she gave him a small reassuring smile.

"Let's work together with training today. You can show me what you can do with that old piece of junk." She joked lightly, making him chuckle. He didn't even respond with words, just swiftly loaded his pistol in one smooth motion and was firing the next instant. He completely emptied the clip and reloaded a new one before turning the aim for _her_ target and went down the line of everyone else's with the rest of his available ammo before slamming the weapon on the table when it was empty.

"How was that?" He asked cockily. Everyone had stopped and gaped at him. Addison shook her head.

"Everyone hold your fire!" She called as she rushed around the table to grab the targets.

She came back up to the table and laid them all out in order. His just had the dead center punched out even though he'd shot about 10 rounds into it, clearly piercing the same spot over and over. While the other ones had other holes _close_ to center where the others had attempted themselves, every single one had the exact same spot bullseyed as well from his shots.

"Holy shit." She muttered under her breath. Bucky grabbed his target to examine it closer before he huffed.

"Ok fine. You got skills." He grumbled then pointed at him warningly. "But don't get too cocky! The Shrimp are good too. You can't let your guard down." Zed nodded and went around the put up new targets for everyone before returning to his spot beside Addison.

He watched her form and accuracy for a little bit. She was good but he knew she could do better. He stepped up behind her and placed his hands gently around hers.

"Relax your shoulders and keep both eyes open. You'll be more accurate that way." He whispered close to her ear, a chill running down her spine. But then he slowly released his hold on her and stepped back. "Pull the trigger on an exhale."

She aimed and tried to concentrate on her body. The tension dissipating as she released her deep breath and pulled the trigger. Dead center. She shrieked in excitement and Zed grabbed her around the waist with his own celebratory laugh as he spun her around.

"That was great Addy!" He praised as he sat her back on her own two feet. "Now it's all about keeping that same looseness any time you're firing. I can usually get about 3 or so rounds out per exhale if I'm firing multiple shots." He explained.

"That's actually really helpful. Thanks Babe!" She smiled, bouncing up to kiss him quickly before returning to her spot to keep practicing.

* * *

"That's the last one!" Eliza yelled across the room after moving the last of the obstacles randomly around the space.

"Awesome! Thanks E!" Zed called back. Eliza made her way back to the group as they loaded their paintball guns.

"The rules are simple." Zed started. "1. No protective gear. You get hit, you get hurt. 2. You get three chances. Bree's watching the cameras to make sure none of us cheat. Three strikes, you're out."

"Present!" Bree's voice came over the intercom cheerfully, making Addison giggle.

"3. No mercy. In this game, we're all enemies. 4." Bucky groaned.

"How many fucking rules are there?! Jesus!" He complained. Zed glared but Addison punched her cousin's arm before he could rebuttal.

"The 4th and final rule," he smirked, "last one standing is the winner. And as such, gets the coveted prize." Bucky raised a brow.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Winner picks dinner." Zed said, staring him down with determination and a cocky smile. Bucky's nose scrunched in disgust.

"Well I guess I have to win 'cause I'm sure whatever you _zombies_ eat is horrible." He said. Eliza snorted.

"You know we're not _actual_ zombies right?" She questioned his stupidity. He rolled his eyes then glared at her.

"No shit Sherlock. But you also grew up poor. You're taste buds have been conditioned with shitty foods." He replied arrogantly.

Addison inwardly groaned and dropped her head while all three of the green haired assailants glared at him.

"You're gonna eat your words, Big Mouth. See how those taste." Zed snapped. Bucky narrowed his eyes back at him and Addison decided to step in before a fight could break out again.

"Ok ok! Let's just get this started so you two can hash it out in action, alright?" The two didn't stop their glaring contest, but did nod their agreements. Eliza, Bonzo, and Bucky all went their separate ways to find a good "hiding spot" but Zed hung back a second with Addison. He pulled her in for a quick hug and kissed the top of her head.

"Good luck out there." He whispered, pulling back to give her a cheeky wink and took off to "hide" as well. Addison rolled her eyes fondly as she took cover.

Bree's voice came over the intercom once again. "Everyone is in position. Ready?" Everyone nodded to keep their locations concealed. "Great. Let's keep it clean. No cheating. I'm watching you." Addison couldn't help but giggle softly. "3, 2, 1. Go!"

Addison took off to the next barricade, earning a few shots that, fortunately for her, she was able to dodge. But that also got the others firing at each other. She heard Eliza yell out in pain.

"Code Breaker has been eliminated." Bree's cheerful voice informed the group.

"This is so unfair! I swear you and Bonzo teamed up against me!" Eliza complained, already making her way to the elevator to join Bree in the surveillance room upstairs.

"Sorry Eliza! We love you!" Bonzo called. Big mistake. Zed jumped cover towards his voice but caught sight of Bucky doing the same thing. Zed ducked down even further to keep out of sight and changed course to sneak up on the other assassin.

He had Bucky in his sights. The dark haired man had his paintball gun raised at who he assumed was Bonzo and was firing. Three shots. Zed was pulling his own trigger, getting only one shot off, when his arm started burning from being hit with a paintball.

"Ah fuck!" He cursed not waiting to seek shelter from the incoming fire that missed him.

"Shit." He heard Addison mutter.

"Nice try Baby. But you gotta keep your breathing steady." He said aloud, holding a firm grip to his stinging arm in an attempt to ease some of the pain.

"You should be watching your back Babe." She replied simply before Bree's voice interrupted again.

"Oh! Are you ok Bonnie?" She cooed. Bonzo looked up at the camera with a smile, babying his injuries, but nodding. "Silent Vandal has been eliminated. Troubleshooter and Brain Eater have a single strike each." She informed.

"Either of you get me in the face with one of these god forsaken paintballs and the Mighty Shrimp will be the least of your worries." Bucky yelled out his threat. Addison's laugh rang out in an echo, helping to keep her exact location undetectable. Zed fought the urge to go find her, purely for the fact that he was determined to eliminate Bucky first.

He stayed low as he hurried from cover to cover, keeping his eyes peeled so he wouldn't get blindsided again. Then suddenly he caught the glimpse of Bucky checking around the edge, about to jump cover as well. Zed lifted his gun with lightning speed and fired two shots, hitting him square in the back.

"Son of a bitch!" Bucky cursed loudly from the stinging welts growing under his clothes.

"Troubleshooter has been eliminated." Bree announced. "Our two remaining players, cease fire and please stand." Zed raised an amused brow and did as he was told, coming face-to-face with Addison from across the room. Why was she smirking? They heard the elevator door close where Bucky exited the playing field and suddenly the lights cut out.

"What the fuck?!" Zed exclaimed, ducking back down behind his cover.

"The final round is sudden death. One shot, one kill. And for added difficulty, the lights have gone dark." She informed, he could hear the smirk in her tone.

"God dammit! That's cheating Addy!" He yelled, knowing her partner in the sky was pulling strings just for her benefit.

"We both know if it was just me vs you, you'd win hands down! This gives me a slight handicap!" She argued lightheartedly.

"Ok fine. But no more help from the peanut gallery!" He countered.

"Deal! Now let's do this!" She yelled. "Good luck!"

"Yeah yeah." He grumbled.

This was way more difficult. He could barely see two feet in front of his face. How was he gonna be able to see across the room? As quietly as he could, he snuck around the barriers, blindly mind you, feeling his way around with his hands. This was not looking good. He needed to rethink his approach. If he can't use his sight, how could he locate her?

'_Have you trained blindfolded, trying to hit a moving target, relying on nothing but your hearing?_' He remembered her mentioning in the ice bath. That's right. She's trained like this before.

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, listening rather than trying to see. The room was pretty silent, only the light hum of the air conditioning unit pumping filtered cool air into the sub-basement. But then he heard the faintest sound of a pebble to his left. He lifted his gun and fired. But just as quickly he was hit in the shoulder.

"Fuck!" He exclaimed in pain, and frustration 'cause he knew he lost.

"Brain Eater has been eliminated! Eclipse wins!" Bree announced excitedly as the lights came back on.

"That was good Zed!" Addison praised as she rushed to his side.

"Excuse me, I lost. What do you mean." He complained with a pout. She giggled and helped him stand, immediately wrapping a proud hug around his torso.

"But you used sound instead of sight! With some more practice, you'll be able to make headshots with your eyes closed!" She encouraged. Zed chuckled and hugged her back.

"Well, you didn't exactly give me any pointers before blindsiding me." He teased. She pulled back with a pout.

"That's not the point. You agreed before we resumed play!" She said as the elevator doors opened again with all their friends emerging back into the training area, including Bree who rushed her for a congratulatory hug.

"Yay! It worked! Great work Eclipse!" She praised. Addison giggled.

"Thanks Birdwatcher! Couldn't have done it without you!" She reversed. Bree blushed and shyly waved her off.

"Thank _God_ you won Cous. What are we having for dinner?" Bucky asked. Addison took a step back beside Zed again and put an arm around his waist.

"Actually, I wanna try whatever Zed has in mind." She informed, smiling up at her green haired boyfriend. Eliza and Bonzo whopped excitedly since they knew exactly what he'd pick.

"Zita's Pizza it is!" Zed exclaimed happily, completely enjoying the groan he earned from Bucky.

* * *

Dinner had been great! Zed ordered a few different options and even Bucky couldn't complain. She was so happy she let him pick. They all laughed and carried on after a successful training day until almost all the pizza was gone. Then they had to get serious again as they set the details of the plan.

It was decided that Eliza would pose as Bucky's date, and they'd create a distraction while Zed and Addison snuck in. Bree and Bonzo would use their sniper and intel skills from nearby as their eyes in the sky and cover when necessary, not that Bonzo would let Bree be off somewhere on her own with such a dangerous mission anyways.

From there on out, the two teams would basically be on their own. Bucky and Eliza would do their best to get close to their grandfather, but he thought it'd be unlikely. He suspected Addison's dad would have his eyes on him, suspicious that he might be playing both sides. Which he was, but that's not the point.

After hammering out as many details as they could, the atmosphere in the room had grown heavy and quiet.

"I think we're gonna get some sleep. See you guys in the morning." Addison excused them, Zed understanding what she meant and followed her back to his old bedroom.

They silently got ready for bed before curling up together.

Zed really wasn't joking when he had said that first night that they'd have to cuddle. His twin sized bed was, cozy (and that was being generous). It wasn't uncomfortable. Very comfortable actually. Mostly because Zed had his body curved along hers, molding around her smaller frame as he held her tight.

Honestly, she was getting used to having him so close each night. When she'd hid in Bree's designated room to avoid him the other night, she found herself tossing and turning without his warmth against her back. She snuggled back into his chest and his arms subconsciously tightened around her ever-so-slightly.

The lights were off. She should be sleeping. But she just laid there awake. "Zed?" She whispered. 

"Hm?" He hummed, not fully asleep himself.

"I'm scared." She admitted. He sat up on his elbow and turned on the bedside lamp, she rolled onto her back so she was half underneath him.

"What's going on Addy?" He asked gently, brushing her bangs away from her forehead.

"I'm scared you're gonna get hurt." She looked up at him with a sincere worry written over her features. He softened.

"You don't need to worry about me Addy. I can handle these situations in my sleep." He teased. Her frown deepened.

"I'm being serious." She protested. He cradled her jaw in his palm.

"And so am I." He countered. She turned her head with a pout.

"No, you're not taking me seriously." She grumbled. Zed let out a breathy laugh and gently coaxed her back to facing him.

"Do you trust me?" He asked.

"Of course I do." She told him genuinely.

"And I trust you. We have to trust each other's ability to stay safe. Otherwise, we'll be distracted and risk slipping up." He's right. Of course he's right. She sighed in content defeat and nodded, a smile gracing her lips.

"I'll be fine. I promise." He assured her, leaning in to pressed his forehead to hers.

She couldn't help it when she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down for a soft, sensual kiss. A kiss that took their breath away. A kiss they poured their emotions into.

A kiss that felt like it could be their last.


	14. Chapter 14

They spent the entire morning getting ready. Bucky helping Zed and Bonzo get rid of their green hair with some brown hair dye and making sure they were dressed up to par with Mighty Shrimp expectations. Even if Bonzo wouldn't be _in_ the Gala, he could be spotted with them outside of the electromagnetic field. Meaning he needed to dress the part. Period.

Addison and Bree did the same for Eliza, who whined and complained every step of the way. From the hair dye, to the elegant lace form fitting dress Addison had picked for her. The maroon color would hide any injuries she may acquire in the fight and the flowy bottom would give her plenty of mobility.

She had used those same guiding principles when picking her dress too, though she _may_ have spent a little extra time and money on her own. Her gown flowed off her body to perfectly drape and accentuate every curve she had with her waist cinched and a large slit for her leg to peek out. The red and orange blend would make her look like a woman on fire as she entered, ready to take down the world with her determined flames.

"I didn't go too much, did I?" She asked Bree self consciously as they were getting dressed. Bree, in her simple, short white dress with black tights, gaped at her.

"Are you kidding? This dress is perfect! Can't you just picture yourself taking down your grandfather's company like a total badass in this?" She asked dramatically. Addison giggled.

"Thanks Bree. You always know how to make me feel awesome." She thanked and hugged her best friend, possibly for the last time.

The girls then got to work on hair and makeup. Bree was straightening Addison blonde hair with practiced ease while she styled Eliza's, now, brown hair.

"I don't see why it's so important how _I_ look. No one's going to even be looking at me." Eliza complained once again. Addison frowned as she continued working on the zombie's elegant updo.

"What are you talking about Eliza? Everyone's going to be looking at you! If not because you're there with Bucky, then because of how amazing you look!" Addison told her. Eliza turned back to look at the blond.

"Yo-you think I look amazing?" She asked meekly.

"Yeah," Addison didn't hesitate to nod with an excited smile. The shyness in Eliza's face shifted to flattery and confidence as she brushed a curl behind her ear casually.

"I guess getting dolled up every now and then isn't _so _bad." She comments as she turns back around for Addison to finish her hair.

With a few more pins, Addison clapped her hands together triumphantly. "Done! Now you look perfect." Eliza looked at the tight updo bun Addison worked on with scrutiny.

"I don't really _do_ perfect." She said, reaching up to take a few pins out. Several of her curls fell out of place, giving the hair style a more normal and Eliza feel. It was actually better than perfect, because it was so…_Eliza_.

"Wow." Addison breathed. Eliza turned to her self consciously. But the way Addison expression shifted to utter excitement quickly eased her nerves. "_Now_ you look perfect!" She corrected herself, making the zombie laugh.

* * *

Zed shifted on his feet nervously in the living room as they waited for the girls to finish getting ready. Bucky checked his watch with creased brows.

"Addison! If we don't hurry, we'll definitely be late!" He called up the stairs in irritation.

"Keep your hair on Bucky! We'll be down in a sec!" They heard Addison's disembodied voice from the second floor.

Bucky frowned, his hand grazing his hair, grumbling to himself, "My hair doesn't come off."

Zed fought the chuckle that bubbled up in his chest, not wanting to piss off his comrade before their big mission. While Bonzo just stood to the side looking like a nervous wreck. But all of their thoughts were put on hold when footsteps sounded in the stairway.

Bree, with her short white dress and her black tights, hurried down the last few steps and rushed up to Bonzo with bright excited eyes. "You look so handsome Bonnie! And your hair!" She gushed, running her fingers through his brown waves. Bonzo was a blushing mess and stuttering over his words until he just wrapped his arms around her, hiding his red cheeks in her shoulder.

"Aw, Bree! You're making him blush!" Eliza teased as she got off the last step. Her eyes turned to Zed and Bucky who were wide eyed and mouths agape. She stopped. "What?" Bucky shook off his shock and moved to stand in front of her, bowing at the waist as he took her hand.

"Would a fair lady like yourself do me the honor of accompanying me to the Masquerade Gala this evening?" He asked with a smirk up to her. It was Eliza's turn to have red stained cheeks and ripped her hand out of his before he could kiss her knuckles.

"I don't-! How could-! Gah! Men are so exasperating!" She huffed, storming towards the kitchen to escape their scrutiny. Bucky chuckled, proud that his teasing had worked so well.

Zed watched his best friend's back as she retreated out of the room, a smile over his lips. She really did look amazing. He knew she wasn't really comfortable with all the girlie stuff, but she could clean up well when she wanted to.

"Bucky, stop aggravating my friends." Addison's voice drew his attention back to the stairs. Zed's eyes widen again and he forgets how to breath for a moment.

Her flowing red, yellow, and orange gown danced around her perfectly smooth legs as she descended down the stairway. She looked like the fire that had lit in his heart the day he'd met her, so beautiful and alive, blazing into his life like a wildfire. Her hair was slicked back and straight. Her makeup flawless with her blood red lips. Zed's chest burned and he realized he hadn't been breathing. He sucked in a sharp breath and smiled in bewilderment as he took a few steps forward to meet her at the bottom of the stairs.

Addison let out a shaky breath when her eyes landed on him too, looking like her ankles nearly lose their balance beneath her as her eyes drift over his body then back up to meet his eyes. As soon as their eyes connect, her breathless smile matches his.

"You look absolutely beautiful." He managed to breath out.

"Thanks. You too." She replied with a breathy laugh. Zed laughed lightly and a faint blush dusted Addison's cheeks. He settled his laughter but the sparkle never left his eyes.

He started to lean in for a kiss, her eyes fluttering shut with anticipation.

"Hey! Whoa whoa whoa!" Bree swiftly swooped in and wedged her way between them. "You _are not_ going to smudge my masterpiece before we get to the gala!" Bree exclaimed, pointing a warning finger in Zed's face before returning to Bonzo's side.

Both Addison and Zed burst into laughter and returned to their close proximity. Addison reached up and straightened his tie, her mood sobering but she forced a small smile.

"But afterwards, you won't be able to keep my hands off you, Handsome." Her words were playful, but her tone and the look in her eyes told him she was worried. Worried they wouldn't get the chance to do any of those things. They might not get a later.

Zed wrapped an arm around her tiny waist and pulled her against him. "_When_ we get back, I'll let you do whatever you want to me." He assured her, his words deliberate and quiet so the others wouldn't hear.

She searched his face for doubt but when she found none, she softened. If he believed they could win, she would too. She'd do anything to keep him and her friends safe. And if that meant they had to take down her family's multimillion dollar company, she'd do it in a heartbeat.

"Alright everyone," Bucky finally called for their attention. They all turned in his direction. "It's time to put on your game faces." He said, walking up to each of them with a hand picked mask.

Addison's was first, jet black with an elegant swirl pattern. Then Zed's, also jet black but a simple solid mask. Next was Bree and Bonzo's, the exact same as Addison and Zed's, but white in color instead. And he finished with Eliza, hers and his masks in hand. Their masks were black, both solid but with textured floral patterns along the edges. Sophisticated, but simple.

Addison put hers on effortlessly, along with Bucky and Bree since they've all been going to the galas for years, but the zombies were having a bit more trouble. Addison giggled and gently grabbed Zed's hands to stop him. "Let me help you." She offered, earning a sigh of relief.

The _former_ Mighty Shrimps helped the zombies with their masks and they were ready for the party.

They all looked at each other. A mix of marveling in their disguises, and nervousness for what they were about to go into. A party surrounded by the enemy. All it would take is one person to recognize _just one _of them and the whole mission would be a failure. They'd all be executed right there.

Addison took a deep breath and grabbed Zed's hand firmly for support. "Let do this." She stated. Everyone nodded and they headed for their cars.

* * *

"_Birdwatcher and Silent Vandal are in position._" Zed and Addison heard through their earpieces.

"_Troubleshooter and Code Breaker approaching the gate._" Bucky's voice added softly.

"Eclipse and Brain Eater in position when you're ready." Addison whispered, holding tightly to Zed's elbow as they smile at one another as not to draw any suspicion to themselves in the crowd.

"_Moving in._" Bucky confirmed.

"Ready?" Zed asked softly. Addison nodded, her shoulders tense and movements jerky. "You gotta relax Babe. Or everyone will know something's up." He said. She made a quiet squeak and took in a shaky breath. Zed stopped their walking only for a second, lifting her chin with the crook of his index finger and kissed her. She immediately melted and tried to deepen the kiss, but he pulled back. "Not yet." He teased. "But I'm gonna be right here. Everything will be fine. Trust me." She smiled.

"Yeah." She whispered. Then they continued towards the entrance gates. Bucky and Eliza were in, giving the guards a polite thank you as they passed. Just like practiced, Eliza suddenly 'tripped' over her own feet and toppled onto the ground.

"Oh my god! Are you alright Honey?" Bucky exclaimed loudly as Eliza made a god awful groan of agony. Every eye within earshot was on them, the crowd slowly moving forward towards the scene, a perfect distraction for Zed and Addison to sneak right by without anyone noticing.

"We're in." Addison informed.

The next instant, Eliza was on her feet, with only minimal help from Bucky and brushed off her skirt close to the knee for good measure. She hooked an arm around his and they continued on their way inside. Addison giggled from their horrible acting skills but it got the job done nonetheless.

The two pairs moved swiftly towards the entrance into the mansion, with significant space between them of course as not to draw attention to themselves. It might be alarming to see a group of four walking with intention through a crowd. So they tried to look casual; smiling at one another, making light meaningless conversation, the works.

Once they were inside, they could relax _a little_ more. The amount of guards inside was a fraction in comparison to outside. But they still needed to be careful. If one person alerted them to their presence, the entire Mighty Shrimp army would barge inside to take them out. One wrong move and they're toast.

Addison's eyes scanned the upper level, open to them on the main level by a banister rather than a wall. Her grandfather would be up there, somewhere. That level restricted for special guests and the family. If she wasn't in hiding, she'd be able to just walk up the main stairs freely, able to come and go as she pleased. But now she needed to figure out a way to get up there without drawing attention.

Zed's gentle hand over hers on his bicep snapped her out of her inner planning. "Smile Baby. We've got company. 12 o'clock." He whispered. She put her polite smile in place and slowly turned her head in the direction he'd indicated to her.

"Oh hello!" A middle aged woman greeted. "I'm sorry to interrupt your evening, I just _had_ to tell you how much I _adore_ your dress!" She gushed, placing a light hand on Addison's flowing sleeve. "I knew it! Silk!" She praised herself in excitement. Addison giggled softly, admiring this woman's energy even at her age.

"Thank you." Addison thanked in a more hushed tone, not wanting her voice to be heard too clearly by anyone who may know her. Then the woman glanced up at the tall man whose arm she was attached to. Her brow quirked up in interest and a smirk lifted the corners of her lips.

"And you've got impeccable taste in men too. I'm impressed!" The woman cooed to Addison. Zed chuckled this time and gave the woman a slight bow at the waist.

"To be complimented by such a refined woman as yourself is an honor and a privilege." Zed countered smoothly, taking one of her hands and planting a light respectful kiss to the woman's knuckles for good measure. A blush creeping up the woman's neck as she began to fan her face with her free hand.

"You've caught yourself a lady killer here!" The woman teased as Zed straightened back up and wrapped his arm around Addison's waist. "I think you'll have to keep your eyes on him." Addison giggled again, little did she know, Zed was toying with her. He did that with the waitresses and bartenders when they'd went on dates, just to make sure they got the best treatment possible. Anyone who wanted to impress him would bend over backwards to catch his eye. But she knew better. Zed would be completely faithful to her no matter what. But this woman didn't need to know any of that. So she made sure her polite smile was still in place.

"I think I can handle him." She replied playfully, looking up at Zed rather than towards the woman. Zed's lips quirked as he leaned down to kiss her softly.

The woman sighed in front of them. "Seeing such true young love is so heartwarming!" She extended her hand out towards Addison, which she accepted. "It's been very nice to meet you two. Enjoy the Gala!" And just like that, she was gone.

Addison sighed. "I knew this dress was a bad idea. I stand out like a sore thumb." She scolded herself. But Zed tilted her chin upwards towards him.

"You'd stand out if you were wearing a burlap sack Adds." He told her, earning a quiet gasp. "I love how beautiful you look." He was about to lean in for another kiss but a voice in their earpieces interrupted.

"_Can you two keep your mouths to yourselves for _one _evening? We've got work, remember?"_ Bucky lectured.

Addison huffed in aggravation but Zed just chuckled, straightening his spine and pushing his shoulders back. The confident stance he always used as the charmer he was.

"Thanks Buzz Killington." Addison grumbled towards her cousin.

"_Stay focused Eclipse. Keep your mission at number one priority."_ He instructed, no longer his scolding tone but the mentoring one he's used with her all these years while training. Her mind clearing of its maliced thoughts and just focusing.

Zed gently rubbed circles along her back in comfort as he led her along, finding a random group to insert them into. He effortlessly engaged in the conversation, earning the respect of every older person in the group within a minute. Addison stayed quiet beside him, marveling in his charisma.

"_Ok. We're going to attempt Plan A. Troubleshooter and Code Breaker moving in." _Bucky informed. Addison's eyes upturned towards the elegant stairs where Bucky and Eliza could be seen climbing to the upper level. She kept them in her peripherals at all times without looking obvious. She and Zed could blend into the crowd but be ready as backup for them if anything went wrong.

* * *

Although his official code name was Troubleshooter, back in his assassin days he was nicknamed Mr. Hollywood, not only because of his dramatics (though that played a big part in it) but because of his elaborate, complex schemes. It was why he had been head of the department; his attention to detail was what got him to the top. Some people (Eliza) thought it was overkill, but he kept reminding them (Eliza) that, if they wanted to pull one over on Dale, they needed the details.

They reached the top of the stairs, easily gliding past security with some playful banter from Bucky, and started cruising through the special guests section. Aside from family, potential business partners and select friends were also allowed upstairs. They weren't even allowed to wear their masks upstairs, the whole reason Eliza was his date and not Addison.

Addison's parents were chatting up Dexter Freidman, one of their top investors. Bucky led Eliza over to the trio, knowing that not greeting his aunt and uncle would raise suspicion. He put on a charming smile as he approached and Dale caught his eye, smiling pleasantly. "Mr. Freidman, have you met my nephew, Bartholomew Smith?"

Freidman smiled and raised an eyebrow, extending his hand toward Bucky who grabbed it and gave it a firm shake. "I don't believe I've had the pleasure."

His eyes wandered over to Eliza as Bucky released his hand. "This is Elizabeth Jean Francois," Bucky introduced, his words catching the attention of his aunt and uncle as Eliza shook hands with Freidman. "My lovely girlfriend."

Eliza smiled a dazzling, charming smile that hid the clear pain she felt at having to pretend to be his girlfriend. Bucky grinned at her, saying, "Elizabeth, these are my aunt and uncle, Mayor Missy Smith, Chief Dale Smith."

"It's a pleasure," Eliza greeted, shaking each of their hands. "Bartholomew has told me so much about you."

Indeed he had. Mighty Shrimp weren't getting away with all of their crimes only because of their assassins department. They had power that extended into the government, beyond Missy's mayoral status. Dale's control over the law enforcement was a huge bonus as well.

Addison's voice cut into their ears. "_Move on from my parents before they get suspicious._"

"_Yeah, you're not exactly selling the whole couple thing,_" Bree said.

"_Of course not they're both insanely gay_."

Bucky frowned for a split second, wanting to snap back at them. Of course he couldn't, and he knew that Addison and Bree both had a point. "If you don't mind," Bucky said to his company, "I'd like to introduce Elizabeth here to the rest of the family."

He placed a hand on her back and started steering her away from the group. "It was lovely to meet you," she said as they walked away, then whipped her head toward Bucky, whispering harshly, "Don't touch me!"

"We're dating you ninny!" he whispered back. "Now smile, we have to fool some of the most brilliant people—"

But, no matter how carefully he planned, no matter how much detail he put into everything, Dale knew something was up. From the way Bucky's "girlfriend" held his arm—the same arm that he had been shot in— the slight, off undertones of the couple's smiles, to the way Elizabeth tensed when her "boyfriend" held her. _Something_ was going on.

He excused himself from his conversation, catching up to his nephew and his date. His head already whirring with how to get the pair downstairs. Sure, there was much more security upstairs, but if he got them downstairs and away from anyone of importance, then he could properly handle the situation. "Bucky," he said, stopping them. "I'm sure you and your date would feel much more comfortable downstairs with other guests. Plus, I'm sure your aunt Caroline is down there and would love to meet Elizabeth."

"Oh, but we're already up here," Bucky said, a smile that was just a _tad_ too polite. "I figured I could introduce her up here, then head downstairs and see who I could catch."

Dale smiled wide, nodding and saying, "Okay then. I'm sure I saw your parents by the lounge, and I'm more than certain they are _dying_ to meet your girlfriend here."

Bucky swallowed thickly, doing his best to maintain his composure. He knew, though, that Dale was onto him. He needed to tread carefully, or risk unraveling the whole plan. "Of course," Bucky said. "We'll see my parents, then head downstairs for a dance or two."

"Now that, my boy, is a good idea," Dale said, sounding a lot more pleased.

Bucky smiled, leading Eliza away from his uncle. He had warned her it wouldn't be easy getting to his grandfather, with Dale lingering around, watching out for him. He had worked on the inside long enough to know what suspicious activity would look like, and knew that once anyone was suspicious, he'd have to retreat and go to Plan B. If he withdrew early, Dale wouldn't be too suspicious, and they could carry out their other plans.

* * *

"_Moving on the Plan B,_" Bucky said. "_All units on standby_."

Zed and Addison exchanged a glance, knowing what Plan B would entail. Bucky and Eliza would be back downstairs in a few minutes, sneaking off to one of the bathrooms so Eliza could connect to the Mighty Shrimp's server. Zed and Addison were left with planning out a distraction. They had both thought up lots of different plans throughout the week, knowing it would have to be grand enough to grab the attention of the whole room.

They lingered near the live band, sipping their drinks idly and chatting up other party goers. Addison kept an eye out for her cousin, pinching Zed's wrist when she saw him and Eliza making their way down the stairs. Zed pauses in his conversation for a moment, seeming to think about his next words but the action actually a response to Addison's signal.

"_Troubleshooter and Code Breaker moving in,_" Eliza said.

Zed suddenly turned to Addison, giving her what looked like a panicked smile. "Excuse me for a moment," he said to bother her and their company.

He turned and jumped on stage, the stark sound of the guitar pausing for a second grabbing everyone in the room's attention. Zed grabbed the microphone, saying over the music, "Excuse me!" All music and conversation stopped, everyone's attention turning to him. Addison looked over her shoulder, seeing her family slowly crowding toward the balcony.

"Hi." He smiled. "I want all of your attention for this. There is a very special person here tonight—here, with me. She's a beautiful, blonde woman, kind and smart and courageous. A true gift to the world. And I am so, _so_ lucky to have her in my life."

There was a chorus of 'awe's throughout the crowd and Addison couldn't help the blush that spread across her cheeks. She knew it wasn't real, but the thought of Zed coming up with a whole speech in an instant that was so..._good_, had her falling more for the man in question that much harder.

"_Logging on,_" Eliza said through their ear piece.

"I know all of us are so lucky to be invited to such an amazing celebration, one of her favorite events of the year," Zed continued. "Which is why I feel, in my heart, that tonight is the perfect night." He leaned down, offering her his hand and helping pull her up on stage. Her heart rate picked up, not only from the anxiety of the situation they were about to be in, but also at the thought of Zed's fake proposal, which felt so real. Still, she reminded herself that they had been together for only a week and one or both of them might die that night.

"_I'm in._"

"Tonight, with all of you as my witness, I want to ask, Miss Addison Lorelei Davis, to marry me."

Zed pulled his coat to the side, which, to a normal onlooker, looking like he was pulling out a ring. Addison watched him, maintaining her surprised look of adoration. The room was eerily silent, making the intake of breath from her family upstairs all the more audible. In a flash, Zed had his gun out and shot at the balcony, aimed toward Addison's grandfather. Four gunshots ring through the air, one hitting the ballister, two nearly hitting Samuel Smith if not for his son in-law shielding him with his body. Dale's scream was barely heard over the terrified noises from the guests and the howl from on stage, where the fourth bullet had hit Zed and had him crumbling to the ground, crying out in pain.

Addison's eyes went wide, panic and fear and anger coursing through her body. That was _not_ a part of the plan. The crowd was screaming and running for cover, security forcing their way to the couple on stage. "Addison!" Zed shouted over the noise. "I'll be fine, _go!_"

There was another gunshot and Addison dropped to the ground, the bullet whizzing over her head and hitting the drums. Zed grabbed her wrist and Addison whipped her head up to look at him, ignoring the slickness on his hand. He locked eyes with her, his eyes filled with determination and zero fear. She felt it too; all night, she had been anxious about what was to come, afraid of what would happen when she had to face her family. But she was Addison Damn Davis, the best assassin the Mighty Shrimp had. She grabbed his gun with one hand, standing and pulling out her knife.

The Mighty Shrimp were going to regret crossing her.

* * *

With the help of her snipers, quick reflexes, and all of Zed's cover fire, Addison managed to get up to the second floor and within the security confines her family was hiding in. Her dress was torn and she was covered in blood and sweat, not all of it her own. She had fought tooth and nail to get up there, fighting like the ruthless assassin they had trained her to be.

The gun she had taken from Zed was out of bullets so she held the spare she had in her back waistband, pointing it toward her grandfather. The only other people hunkered down in the security bunker were her mother and aunt, both holding each other in the corner.

"Sweetie, I'm sure we can work something out," Missy said, her voice wavering with panic. "What do you want? Money? Power?"

Addison didn't even spare her glance. If it had been up to her, she would have killed her grandfather, possibly her mother and aunt, as soon as she got the chance. But she knew better, she needed to wait for the last piece to fall in place before they could destroy the Mighty Shrimp.

Bucky's voice cut into the silence of the room. "_Eclipse, come in?_"

"I read you loud and clear, Troubleshooter," Addison said, annunciating her words to make it known that she was referring to Bucky. She gauged the looks on her family's faces as they realized how much of an inside job it had all been.

"_Brain Eater has been extracted and Codebreaker is uploading the final document. You're a go._"

She held back her grin, the sound of the safety going off echoing almost louder than the gunshot.

* * *

_ **BREAKING NEWS:  
** _ _ **Mighty Shrimp Industries CEO Death  
**_**_Follows Multiple Incriminating Documents  
_**__**Leaked by Z.O.M.B.I.E.S.**


	15. Epilogue

**—One Month Later—**

"Please welcome, the new CEO and owner of Mighty Shrimp Industries, Addison Davis."

Addison took a deep breath, walking to the podium and waiting for the chatter to die down before she started speaking. She shuffled her papers despite the fact that they were covered in nonsensical words, in case the camera caught sight of the papers over her shoulder. They were only for show, everything she needed to say on a prompter at the back of the room. She had typed up all the issues she needed to discuss and everything she had to say about them and had her publicity manager read over it before giving it to the prompter.

"Good morning," she greeted. "I have called this press conference to clarify the new directions Mighty Shrimp Industries will be taking under my eye. It has been one month since the passing of my grandfather, the former CEO of Mighty Shrimp Industries. During that time, the company has come under fire for many incriminating allegations. This past month, my team and I have been working to solve these problems to produce a safer, friendlier company.

"We are partnering with Z.O.M.B.I.E.S. to work to fix these errors. First, we are working to become entirely sweatshop and cruelty-free, as well as eco-friendly and fair trade. We are updating our company policy to foster a safe work environment for all of our employees. My team and I will release monthly reports on Mighty Shrimp and our efforts to change. In addition to all the internal factors, one big change we can announce today is the separation of the family business."

There was a collect surprised murmur throughout the crowd. Addison paused, giving them a moment to talk amongst themselves. As long as she or anyone else could remember, Mighty Shrimp had been a family owned business, the leadership passed on from generation to generation. It was the whole reason why she was now in charge; she had gotten the majority of her grandfather's inheritance, including his share of the company, making her CEO.

"The reason I see this fit is because a successful work environment can only be accomplished by a company that is led by someone who is qualified, rather than someone who is only in charge because of heritage. Leadership positions will thus be given based on qualifications and, seeing how many of the current department heads are facing criminal charges for their actions in the past, this new policy will take place effective immediately."

She stopped, letting her words settle before the crowd went into an uproar. "Any questions you have, please send to my office, thank you," she finished, saying her last words quickly just as everyone started shouting their questions at her. She stepped away from the podium and went offstage, away from the screaming press and straight into the arms of her boyfriend.

"You did great, Babe," he said, hugging her.

Addison hummed, burrowing her head in his chest. "I hate working," she complained. "Can we go home now? Start our weekend early?"

"It's Thursday," he chuckled.

"It's not like you work anyway."

"But you do, Miss CEO," he countered.

'_I'd rather be Mrs. Necrodopolus._' Addison thought to herself but just hummed, closing her eyes and melting into him. "I'll be sick tomorrow," she said, then let out pathetic, fake coughs. "It's not like I have a boss or anything. I'll tell my assistant to move all my appointments, let Bucky be in charge. And then you and I can hang out all weekend."

"That does sound tempting." He mused, kissing the top of her head. "Let's go home and you can decide later." She nodded against him, though she'd already made her decision, before he escorted her to their 'getaway car.' He held her against his side, shielding her from the flashing cameras and shouting reporters as they and their security team fought through the crowd.

After a gentle shove into the vehicle, he jumps in behind her, "Drive." He orders. The tires squeal as their car speeds off and away from the bustle of the press.

* * *

"Ah! Home sweet home!" Zed announced as they exited the elevator into his penthouse. _Their_ penthouse, since Addison moved in about a month ago. She giggled and slipped out of her jacket. Zed unbuttoned his and stretched his arms back for it to drop off his arms but hissed in mild pain from the swift movement. Addison was right at his side the next instant.

"Zed!" She exclaimed in her panic at first.

"I'm ok. Just, sore still." He assured her. She sighed and helped him with his jacket before wrapping her arm around his middle to guide him to their ensuite.

"You need to be more careful! What if you reopened the wound?" She scolded as she made quick work of the buttons of his white shirt. Zed chuckled.

"That wouldn't be so bad. I have such a beautiful nurse to take care of me." He teased, leaning down to steal a kiss from the tip of her nose. She gave him a fond look of warning as she peeled his shirt over his shoulders.

The bandages were still clean of blood, much to Addison's relief, but she still removed each patch to reapply some fresh antibiotic ointment. Every so often, a bit of skin would protest the pulling of the bandage tape and she'd have to mutter a gentle apology as he cursed under his breath.

The sight was still just as painful as the first time. Even though he wasn't bloodied and potentially dying in front of her this time. The punctures in his skin were healing, yes, but things could have ended so much differently. She pushed aside her thoughts and tended to her task, fingers softly applying the ointment over his bullet wounds.

Three, to be exact; shoulder, arm, and upper abdomen.

Once he was cleanly bandaged, Addison let her mind wander again. The past month had been insane. A complete whirlwind of emotions and responsibilities. And _god_ was she grateful to have him beside her with his amazing support. But, things could have easily went completely wrong and ended very badly.

She stood up from her spot kneeling in front of him and cupped his cheeks in her hands. "I don't know where I'd be without you." She whispered. Zed softened and stood as well, lifting her off her feet bridal style. His lips found hers before she could make more than a little surprised squeak.

"It's actually the reverse. _I_ don't know where I'd be without _you_." He corrected softly as he pressed their foreheads together and carried her back into their bedroom for a little touching and cuddling for reassurance before bed.

* * *

For the first time since they met, they got to relax and sleep in. And _man_ was Addison in heaven. Even with the stray streaks of light peeking through the curtains and waking her, she just sighed contently and snuggled deeper into Zed's warm embrace. Her shifting stirred him out of his sleep but he wasn't complaining, he tightened his arms around her and sighed as well.

"Good morning Gorgeous." He says sleepily.

"Good morning Handsome." She smiled up at him.

"Would my powerful CEO girlfriend like some breakfast?" He teased. She snorted at the title he's been insisting on using, even though she doesn't particularly like it.

"I don't know why you always have to call me that. I'm more than just my position." She grumbled. Zed immediately cradled her jaw and held her close.

"Oh Babe, I know that better than anyone! You're so much more than a business owner." He assured, leaning down to plant a soft kiss to her lips before pulling back just a centimeter. "I just find my lady being in such a powerful position _extremely_ sexy." He whispered, his lips still brushing hers with how close they still were. Addison giggled and closed the gap to kiss him again.

"How about we drop the title and just enjoy a nice breakfast together." She said with a grin. He chuckled and rolled out of bed.

"Whatever you want Princess!" He called over his shoulder as he went straight to the kitchen while Addison instead went for the bathroom for her morning routine.

By the time she came out into the main living area, Zed already had a plate full of bacon finished and started on eggs and toast. She inhaled deeply and sighed.

"It smells amazing out here." She commented as she took a seat at the island.

"Didn't know you were dating a five-star chef now, did you?" He joked just as the toaster popped up with burnt black bread. Addison burst out laughing.

"I'd hate to see what a one-star chef looks like!" She laughed hysterically, earning a pout from her green-haired boyfriend.

"Ok ok. So I'm not a culinary mastermind. At least I can make you breakfast." He grumbled as he put new slices of bread into the toaster and tossed the burnt ones in the garbage bin. Her laughter settled down to a chuckle as she softened.

"You know I love you right? Even if you burn the toast?" It was his turn to laugh and smile over at her across the kitchen island.

"I love you too." He says.

"You might wanna pop the toaster before you burn it again." She added with a raised brow. She giggled from the look of panic that crossed his face before he turned with lightning speed to save the scorching bread slices.

Zed then plated up the breakfast he'd prepared and took the seat next to her. They ate in relative silence, just enjoying the leisurely time they could spend together. Not having work or plans to rush off to, or anyone they needed to answer to, was such a relief after the month they've had.

"So," Addison broke the silence, "have you thought about my offer?" She asked, not lifting her gaze from her plate as she poked at her eggs with her fork. He audibly groaned and she cringed, knowing this was one of the touchiest subjects they've argued about.

"Can't we just go one day without worrying about work?" He whined. Addison put her fork down and turned to fully face him in her chair, her brows creased in concern.

"You haven't made any kind of decision about your future since this whole mess started Zed. Both our lives have been completely flipped upside down. _I_ was forced to make my decisions pretty quick, but you," she paused with a sigh, hoping she wasn't coming off too harsh, "what do you want to do with your life?"

He scrubbed his face with his hand then sifted his fingers through his hair. "I wanna be with you and figure the rest out as I go." He told her. She sighed.

"Zed you can't go through life like that. Not with everything. You need to at least know you've got something to fall back on if anything ever happened between us." She countered.

"I'm not gonna freeload off you, ok?" He snapped. She cringed again, knowing that's the harshness she was hoping he wouldn't take it as.

"I'm not worried about that." She assured him softly, reaching over to grab his balled fist on the marble countertop. "I don't care about the money. Or the company. Or anything but you." His shoulders slumped as he locked desperate eyes with hers. "I want you to feel like you have a purpose in life. To feel like you're making a difference in the world. Whatever it is that will make you happy, that's what I want for you." She told him sincerely. His eyes turned to avoid hers.

"My dad wants me to take over Z.O.M.B.I.E.S." He blurted out. Addison blinked in surprise.

"What's so wrong with that?" She asked curiously. Zed got up off his seat to pace the floor.

"I'm not like you, Addy. I'm not good with organization or leadership or business meetings or public speaking or any of it! When I think about managing a law firm, my palms get sweaty and my heart pounds in my ears. Everyone there is 10 times smarter than me and I'd probably fail miserably and destroyed the company within the first year!" He ranted out, still pacing back and forth in front of her. "I don't wanna let anyone down. My dad. You. Eliza, Bonzo, and Bree. Everyone would be counting on me to make all the right decisions all the time and I can't trust myself enough to do that."

She hopped off the chair and halted his pacing by stepping right into his path, grabbing his face gently to force him to look at her.

"If your dad didn't think you were ready, he wouldn't have offered it to you." She told him firmly, then shifted to a much more gentle tone. "Whether you think so or not, you're very smart and you have an _insane_ amount of charisma that most businessmen would kill for. And no one expects you to be perfect."

"But what about—"

"Zed. _No one_ is perfect. No one would expect you to be." She assured him. He deflated and squeezed his eyes shut for a moment before turning his gaze to meet hers again.

"So you think I should take it?" He asked.

"I already told you, Baby," she smiled up at him, "I want you to do whatever will make you happy. My offer's still on the table too, if you'd wanna be my personal bodyguard instead." She smirked. He laughed.

"Would I have to stop dying my hair green?" He joked in reply.

"I like the green. You can keep it." She teased, reaching up to ruffled his bed head. He wrapped her in a tight hug.

"Have I told you how much I love you?" He whispered close to her ear.

"Maybe a few times." She giggled.

* * *

Z-224a, aka Zed's childhood home, aka the Z.O.M.B.I.E.S. safehouse, had become their weekly weekend meet up and hangout spot since they spent so much time there a month ago. Zed and Addison showed up in his beloved green Camaro while Eliza, Bucky, Bree, and Bonzo were waiting inside with 4 large Zita's pizzas already broken into.

"You're late!" Bucky shouted from across the kitchen as they entered.

"Obviously you didn't wait up before eating anyways so stop complaining!" Addison argued back.

"Take your seats and unload your wallets! I'm gonna be taking all y'all's money tonight!" Eliza cut in excitedly, shuffling the playing cards in her hands.

"Oh, are you now?" Zed asked in amusement. "What're we playing this week?"

"Poker. I'm about to lose my whole paycheck." Bree interjected with a sad pout. Bonzo was quick to engulf her in a comforting hug, suddenly they were gone to the rest of them with their coos of baby talk and little cocoon of cuddles. Eliza made a noise of disgust.

"Guys! You're being worse than Zed and Addison over there! Cut it out!" She complained. The whole group laughed and got set for their game, money and pizza slices spread out in front of each of them.

About an hour in, Eliza had wiped out Bonzo, Zed, and Addison. Bucky and Bree were holding their own against her, but the other three were too reckless with their bets and bluffs. Not that any of them really cared. Zed was actually hoping they'd drop off sooner than later so he could cuddle and kiss on his girlfriend without the distraction of the game, much to Eliza's disgust and Bucky's aggravation.

"Full house!" Bree cheered as both Bucky and Eliza groaned, tossing their hands on the table. Bree scooped the pot to her growing pile.

But suddenly, Eliza's phone sounds with alerts.

Though it's her reaction that stills the room rather than the sound.

"What...?" She questions in confusion, looking at her phone and then tapping away before stilling again. But only for a moment. "Guy! We've got company!" She exclaims.

That's all she had to say.

They all jumped to their feet and Zed opens multiple 'secret' compartments to reveal weapons which all of them equipped themselves for defense.

"How many are there." Bucky demanded.

"Looked like 5. Coming in from the back yard." She informed.

Bucky started barking orders but Zed and Addison were in their own world, staring into each other's eyes as they shared a moment of clarity.

"We're never gonna be able to stop fighting, are we?" Addison asked with genuine sadness filling her eyes. His own sadness also filled his heart not only for her, but for himself as well. For them and their future.

"No. Probably not." He confirmed. He could see the slight slouch of her shoulders but he put a comforting hand on her arm, the one _not_ holding his gun. "But I'm always going to be right here beside you. No matter what." He assured her.

Her chest swells and her shoulders roll back with confidence. She then stretched up kissed him swiftly. "I love you." She proclaimed softly.

"I love you too." He replied before adding, "Always," as the first gun shot ran in the air.


End file.
